October 14, 2003
Volume 1: Issue 2
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with Brent Crowe
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The
Urgent Need for Purity
“The latest on the Kobe Bryant case” flip “Kobe Bryant’s trial ”
flip “Kobe Bryant” flip… It seems as if I go through this
little song and dance every evening as I sit down to watch the news. All
you see are talking heads doing nothing more than spouting mere conjecture
with little to no facts for public consumption. Though there may be
speculation on many areas surrounding the Kobe Bryant case, one thing is
for sure straight from the horse’s mouth-- he committed adultery.
In
light of this current event, I think it's worth our time to stop and
understand the urgent need within our culture for purity. Webster defines
purity as . . .. WAIT! Therein lies the problem. We have allowed culture
to become the primary source that dictates right and wrong and in doing so
we have lowered the bar so much that there are no longer standards of
excellence. If we were to be honest, we would see that there are no
longer universal standards but rather only personal preferences. As
believers we must not allow culture to become our source of truth but to
always look to the Word of God to govern our lives. So what does God’s
word say about sexual purity? The lips of an immoral woman drip honey,
and her mouth is smoother than oil; but in the end she is bitter as
wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her
steps lay hold of hell. Proverbs 5:3-4
The temptation to sin will not arrive on the scene of your life like a WWE
wrestler entering the ring with microphone in hand, plastic women on each
side, fireworks shooting off all around and a bright neon sign lit high
above the landscape of the auditorium flashing “SIN”. No, rather
it attacks us at our greatest weakness-it comes by night under the cover
of darkness, finds out what room you are staying in, and when no one else
is around, quietly knocks on the door. Upon opening the door and seeing
TEMPTATION many things may go through your mind: “no one will see”, “no
one will know”, “just this once” and probably the most destructive
misconception of all, “I can handle it”. Yet just as that thought is
going through our head, just as we are basking in our personal strength
and ability to control, it is then we step into the world of reality and
Satan shows his true colors, which he did not do the night before.
In
showing himself, our sin is broadcast for all to see. It seems as if
everywhere we go, there are visual reminders of what we have done. It is
now that we realize Satan’s intent and our utter inability to properly
understand life. It is then and only then that we realize he was out to
destroy me, he was out to break my parents hearts, he was out to make my
wife cry, he wanted me to let everyone down.
Allan Iverson, starting guard for the Philadelphia 76ers, gave an
interview where he was quoted as saying, “I don’t know anyone who is
squeaky clean.” What a sad statement! But how true. The Scriptures
teach “That all have sinned” and “There is none righteous, no,
not one.” Mr. Iverson you are right, none of us are “squeaky-clean”,
we are all dirty and messed up.
As
leaders let us recognize that there is an urgent need for purity and again
raise the bar to a Biblical standard. Let us take His truth to a culture
that desperately needs it, for God’s standard need be the only standard.
I am afraid that if we do not stamp this problem as URGENT then we
will not view it as God does and thus not be available to be used of the
Lord.
If
you keep yourself pure, you will be a utensil God can use for his purpose.
Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you
for every good work. 2 Timothy 2:21
Brent
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It’s everywhere. It captures the attention of
the media and the masses… or at least it used to. Sadly enough, it’s
hardly “news” anymore to hear of superstars and the allegations brought
against them for sexual misconduct or worse, to learn of city and
government officials who have been caught red-handed in attempts to pilfer
from the people’s pockets to stretch their own wallets, or even to hear
about ministers on your church staff who have been involved with
pornography and adulterous affairs… it’s everywhere. And as you can see,
it’s not just psychotic or unusual people who get tangled in this web –
it’s anyone.
Why? Mark Earley, President of Prison
Fellowship, contributes the following in one of this month’s feature
articles that says it best: “The cultural voices seem to be saying
different things, but the same message underlies them all: There is no
ultimate truth, no moral code by which to live our lives. The message:
that God is totally irrelevant if He exists at all. Life is what we make
it. We choose.” A brand of cultural and circumstantial shortsightedness
has calloused our ability to discern truth and integrity. In sessions at
SLU, we urge students and leaders to think critically about the issue of
personal integrity, which paints a holistic picture of cohesive and total
completeness. Someone characterized by integrity is one who looks
introspectively to persistently evaluate whether each thought, action, and
word both mirrors and demonstrates the heartbeat of his/her true identity
in Christ. Integrity is requisite for all leaders, although this seems to
have been largely disregarded in recent days. The principle, however,
still holds true: if you can’t lead yourself, you won’t be able to lead
others. Integrity is everything. |
featuring Luke Lin
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Where God
guides, He always provides. That’s been one of so many lessons
that God has taught me throughout my tenure with Student
Leadership University. I first began attending SLU as a middle
school student, with kind of an idea of what I wanted to do,
but not really. I’ll never forget the paradigm shift of
starting to think in the future tense by learning to dream,
being motivated to seek a vision from God for my life, and
being challenged to rise above the crowd towards excellence.
SLU encouraged me to dream big, so I immediately set several
goals, including graduating as class valedictorian and getting
into a premier pre-medical university that would eventually
enable me to do work in cardiology. I accomplished both and
soon began my undergraduate training at Emory University (GA),
where my SLU training enabled me to make the Dean’s List
several times at the top of my pre-medical class, as well as
lead several inter-denominational Bible studies. However, at
the end of my second year, I began sensing a more distinct
calling from God on my life – one of heading into full-time
vocational ministry.
Although it
was difficult at first to follow God since I had worked so
long and hard on my pre-med training, SLU had taught me
that I could not turn my back on obeying God since loving Him
and obeying Him go hand in hand. God began to develop my heart
for ministry, and soon gave me a dream of reaching China for
Christ. He also began leading me to transfer to another
school. Probably one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to
make was to leave a prestigious school, a great community, a
wonderful church, and all of my friends – all to follow God’s
calling, but I knew beyond any doubt that God was leading me
to follow completely by faith. In a matter of a few weeks, the
president of Dallas Baptist University called to offer me the
Presidential Scholarship, covering all of tuition, books, room
and board, and other expenses. Where God guides, He always
provides! I have since then graduated from DBU, a place where
I love and can call my home, where I was involved in more than
8 clubs and organizations as well as part of the university
administration. God continues to lead, guide, and provide.
This year,
I have the amazing opportunity to pour back into SLU a
fraction of what it has given me by being a part of the staff
and doing leadership research that will potentially reach the
lives of many. I will continue my formal training next year at
Duke Divinity School (NC), where I plan on working towards my
first Ph.D. I am grateful that SLU is dedicated to equipping,
empowering, and enabling me to make my life count for Christ,
and as I continue to follow God, I know that He will continue
to provide more than abundantly for every step of the way. By
the way, I’m still passionate about doing heart surgery… just
a more permanent type. |
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It's our TENTH
ANNIVERSARY celebration at Student Leadership University!
We've got an exciting year ahead of us and some of the lowest
prices that we've ever been able to offer.
What's new at SLU?
For starters... register soon and be eligible to receive $150
off of normal registration pricing! Thanks to our sponsors,
we're able to offer these low prices for a limited time only.
Click
here to look at our current pricing plans for next year.
This year, we are
also announcing an all new and improved SLU 401! We'll be
going on an exclusive Mediterranean Cruise - check out our
website for more details (click
here).
We're also
updating our syllabus course content for all SLU programs to
include all the latest and most up-to-date material so that we
can adequately prepare you today for the challenges of tomorrow.
So what are you
waiting for?! You don't have to wait on your youth pastor to
start getting a group together... Start planning now! You won't
want to miss out on an incredible summer packed with the best
leadership training available to students on the planet! Need
help raising funds? Make sure you check out our website for
fundraising tips that have been proven to raise all the
money you need for SLU and more! Get to planning - we can't wait
to see you next summer!
CRITICAL UPDATE! The dates
for SLU 201 have been changed. The new week is
July 20-24, 2004. Also, the dates for SLU 301 have
been modified to June 13-21, 2004. Check out the complete
SLU season schedule online by clicking
here.
To view past
editions of The Edge, check out our archive
here.
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October 2003
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On the
Edge
Brent
Crowe, Dean of Students for SLU, frames the reason why
there's an urgent need for purity |
Edge Ledge
In this
values-free postmodern culture, how are Christians
supposed to act? Discover how Christians must respond |
Life on the Edge
In this section, we will regularly feature the stories of those whose lives God has
touched through the ministries of SLU. Have a story? Send it to us at
edge@studentleadership.net
This month, we
feature Luke Lin |
Cutting Edge
It's our 10th
Anniversary Year of SLU! Check out the incredible deals we
have going on - such as $150 off of normal pricing!
Prices will never be this low again! |
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Follow the links for the
full article. |
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An Unworkable Ethic
Kobe Bryant and the sexual
revolution...
Read full article |
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Christian Parents and the
Postmodern Culture
Ever feel like you're on
dangerous ground? I do. With two of my six children in
public universities and four on the way up, I'm very aware
of the battle for the minds and hearts of our kids...
Read full article |
| Mel's Film
Stirs More "Passion"
Is Mel Gibson's film about the
last 12 hours in the life of Jesus "the truth" or the
potential catalyst for turning back the clock on decades
of positive progress between Jews and Christians?
Read full article |
| Mel
Gibson's Passion
Read the transcript that aired
on Fox's O'Reilly Factor regarding Mel Gibson's
upcoming major motion picture, Passion.
Read full article |
| Mel's
Passionate Defense
It may have dialogue in only
Latin and Aramaic, with no English subtitles, it may
address several complicated religious issues, and it may
have the entire Hollywood community and Mel Gibson
action-movie fans lovers scratching their heads, but the
actor...
Read full article |
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They Said What on
Television?
They're swearing on TV. A lot. A new study by the Parents
Television Council has found a huge jump in the use of
profanity on virtually every network in virtually every
time slot...
Read full article |
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The Gospel of John
A review on
the upcoming major motion picture, The Gospel of John.
Be sure to catch it in theaters coming soon!
Read full article |
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"Unless a
man is master of his soul, all other kinds of mastery
amount to little."
Theodore Roosevelt
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"A person will
worship something, have no doubt about that. We may think our
tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts,
but it will out. That which dominates our imaginations and our
thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore,
it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are
worshipping we are becoming."
Ralph Waldo Emerson |
"The ultimate
measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort
and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and
controversy."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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We want to hear from you! Do you
have a thoughtful response to the articles here? Have you
written a paper on one of the issues we're discussing this month
or have discussed? Send it to us at
edge@studentleadership.net
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Established in 1994, Student Leadership University's
purpose is to empower students to conquer the future!
Combining hands-on experimental learning with a dynamic
classroom setting, students are equipped to influence
their generation for Christ with confidence.
For more information, visit us at
www.studentleadership.net or call us toll-free at
888-260-2900.
Edge Executive Editor:
Chris Crowe
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