05.21.06 Bulletin Article -- ...And Don't Forget the Sunscreen

Seven years ago, the British record producer Baz Luhrmann released a single that was a combination of mixed electronic music and Luhrmann’s advice to the Class of ‘99. The title was “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen).” If you’ve not heard it, it’s interesting and insightful; you should download it and listen to it on your iPod; or you can listen to it for up to five times for free at Napster.com. I mention this to provide an example of someone giving high school graduates advice for the future. He basically included a “disclaimer” of sorts at the beginning.
It reads: “Wear Sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proven by scientists whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.”

I suppose my modification would be: “Keep the Faith. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, faith would be it. The long-long-long-long term benefits of faith have been assured by God (Heb. 11:6) whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own personal experiences.”

Now for my “advice:”

Keys to Faith: Bible Study. Of all the things you’ve already learned and will soon learn in college, the Word of God trumps them all. You will never know what to do in every situation you face. By depending on the Bible though, you can come close. And for those times you still don’t know what to do, you have confidence in the One who knows all (Prov. 3:5-6). To carry this to a practical end, you can make a tremendous investment by using some of your graduation money (I know you’re gonna get a lot, don’t pretend otherwise) to buy a good study Bible. I know you’ll get a nice new Bible from the elders here at Midway, and you should use it and be thankful for it. In addition, you should look into getting a Bible that has study helps and features. My personal recommendation is the Thompson Chain Reference Study Bible. It is available in all of the “major” translations. It’s most helpful study features lead you through the Word instead of telling you what it says. I’m still benefiting from my Study Bible purchase 5 years ago.

Keys to Faith: Prayer. This will cost you no money! You can never pray too much. You will have more questions and face life’s biggest decisions during the next several years than you’ve ever had before. Depend on God more than you ever have before. There’s a reason Paul said, “Pray without ceasing” in 1 Thessalonians 5:17—it’s that important.

Other advice that’s less important: A College Degree is a big deal. No matter what you think now, you need to go to college. More importantly, you need to get a degree. Unless you cheat in some big way (which you shouldn’t do), they really can’t ever take your degree away from you. I know there are good opportunities that do not require a degree. However, I’m guessing that those opportunities would rather have someone with a degree over someone without one.

Experience is a big deal. Although college degrees are priceless, so is experience. In order to have the most success right out of college, you need a two-pronged approach. College learning and hands-on learning. What you do for your summer job can go a long way in helping you get your feet in to doors later. Even if it involves an unpaid internship (it won’t be the end of the world), the pay off in the future will make up for it.

Maximize your time. Staying up late at night when your at this stage in life is a rite of passage. However, you need to take advantage of it. Don’t stay up every evening watching Sportscenter re-runs or playing Playstation. If you stay up past midnight regularly, it needs to be for homework or other important purposes. You can catch up eventually on your sleep, but you’ll never be able to catch up on missed academic opportunities.

Maximize your space. I didn’t finish with my “advice,” so I will conclude next week...