Behind Closed Doors

The other night we participated in an activity called "witnessing rooms." If you are not familiar with the idea of witnessing, then you probably did not grow up going to a church like mine, and you will probably find this post very bizarre. We split into pairs, and were ushered through a series of rooms where we would encounter various "real life" situations. The idea was for us to help the people we met with whatever they were dealing with, and to share the love of Jesus with them. The scenarios included: the death of a close friend; depression about an unsuccessful career; the party scene; and an abusive marriage. We had 6 minutes in each room. You are probably thinking this is some sort of proselytization propaganda program. Try to bear with me.

Going into this activity, I was skeptical, and worried that I wouldn't do well. I knew they were all actors, so I thought it would be hard to convince myself to take it seriously. It was actually very well done, and I had very little problem treating the situations as significant. For the most part either myself or my partner would handle all the talking in a given room. I definitely learned a lot from being on the hot seat, and I definitely learned a lot observing my partner.

I have never been the type to engage in a spiritual conversation within 6 minutes of meeting someone. In my experience, people don't really like religion, and are quick to put up walls if you try to force your beliefs on them. I still feel this way to some extent, but as we talked things over, I began to see another side as well. If I really believe that Jesus is the best thing that could ever happen to anyone, why would I be worried about saving face? I don't think this means I have the right to invade everyone's privacy and try to trample on their rights and opinions, but I do think it should be more important than my own comfort.

After everyone was finished, we spent some time discussing how we felt. One of my apartment mates, an international student from Germany, had some good insight. He only recently left a life of drugs and partying with his friends in Europe, and he has been on the receiving end of plenty of "witnessing." He pointed out that we were all very eager to get in the rooms and start spouting all the doctrine that we had crammed in our brains, but that isn't what people want or need to hear. I know I approached the activity with a very task-oriented mindset, and forgot to treat the people like people. Like I said, I am not usually one for doctrine spouting with strangers, but where is the balance? I love people, and could have a very comfortable conversation about sports with any stranger. How do I have a very comfortable conversation about Jesus with any stranger? Or even with any friend? I don't have the answer, but I want everyone to experience the joy that I've experienced, so I'm going to keep searching for that answer.

Commitment

Last night we had a commitment service to declare as a group that we are ready to dive into the next 9 months as a team. The service was at the end of a day of prayer and fasting, which we were encouraged to spend in solitude. I did what seemed logical to me, and went to the closest thing I could find to Deerfoot. Turkey Mountain was not exactly a mountain, and was definitely not the Adirondack High Peaks, but it was nice to get back in nature. I spent the day in the woods doing a lot of thinking and praying about various things.

A few days ago I had a really cool conversation with one of the second year girls in the program. I was explaining to her some of my questions about prayer, more specifically the charismatic style of praying. I talked about different ways I felt I was being stretched, and different frustrations I was still trying to work through. The "conversation" consisted mostly of me talking at her, but when I did give her a chance to speak, what she said stuck with me. It was nothing new or profound, but I think I needed to hear it. She suggested that this was just an area where I need to grow. This might sound obvious, but in my mind, I had already done enough growing, and now it was time for God to divinely impart all knowledge and wisdom unto me. I guess God never got that memo. Anyway, I say all this to say that I spent a lot of my day alone praying about prayer. As ironic as that may sound, it was quite helpful.

The rest of my day consisted of reading parts of "The Reason for God," by Tim Keller (check it out, it's good), setting goals for the year, and taking random naps amongst the trees. One of the issues that was on my heart was to stop dwelling so much on all the rules of IMT, and to focus more on how I can pursue change in my own life. Nobody likes to follow a checklist of do's and don'ts, but I think if I can find a way to desire growth in certain areas, then I will be motivated to seek the necessary changes in my life. I think the same can be said for the Bible. Don't obey the Word to make God love you, obey the Word because God already loves you. It's the least I can do.

Everyone was asked to bring a statement of commitments to the service. We had a time of worship, communion, and prayer. At the conclusion, we were each given a ring to symbolize our commitment. I am not much of a jewelry guy, but I guess there's a first time for everything. I am hoping the ring will remind me of why I am here, and will keep me focused on growing in Christ. Diamonds are forever?

Class

I have never been particularly fond of class. I've always done everything in my power to avoid attending, studying for, or passing them. One of the things that drew me to this program is the uniqueness of the classes. Rather than trying to force myself to learn difficult engineering nonsense, I'll be taking classes that focus on the Bible and spiritual growth. As much as I love numbers, I definitely do not have the same passion for thermodynamics as I do for Jesus. Also, attendance is actually mandatory (not "mandatory"). It will be a challenge, but surely I can't fail Bible school? Famous last words.

Anyway, while we are all eagerly waiting to see if I can attend my classes, here are some initial reactions:

Principles of Praise and Worship: This class is taught by Sharon Daugherty, the senior pastor's wife. Her credibility was somewhat compromised when she confessed to only recently learning that the moon does not create light of its own. Other than that, her lecture was very interesting. The focus is on the idea of worshipping through the way we live, with music as a small component.

Principles of Prayer: Quite possibly the primary reason for my interest in VBI. Senior Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty teaches this class, and the first lecture was very fascinating. While I do not anticipate having "all the answers" at the end of this course, I am eager to learn more about the charismatic approach to prayer. Many of the concepts are new to me, but PBJ does a good job supporting his thoughts with scripture. Good stuff.

Transformed Living: Romans 12:2 says that as Christians we are to live transformed lives. This entire course is based on that principle, and is taught by VBI director Ron McIntosh. The class is very interesting, and should be fairly practical as well. Ron is a great storyteller. I am optimistic about staying awake at least in this class.

Authority of the Believer: Probably my least favorite class thus far. I'm not entirely sure what we will be learning, and the teacher is not the most compelling speaker. Maybe I will be pleasantly surprised.

Advanced Music Theory: I took intro to music theory at Montgomery College last winter, and it could not have been more boring. This course should be more interesting, and hopefully I will learn a lot. I like music theory.

Intermediate Keyboard 1: This class was way too simple, so I switched into...

Advanced Keyboard 1: This class is way too hard. But sitting through it I was very excited to be stretched. I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep up, but the idea of the course is to learn how to do improvisation and arrangement. I hope the teacher doesn't mind that I don't really know how to play the piano...

New Testament 1: Haven't had this class yet. I imagine we will discuss the New Testament. I guess you can't go wrong there. Should be good.

As you can see, none of these classes involve anything that remotely resembles engineering. Simple logic allows me to deduce that I will not fail. Yes, this logic is flawed. I guess only time will tell. Sorry this post was so boring, but you should have known as much from the title.