In the past I experimented with other outlets such as Blogger and Xanga, but to no lasting avail. Xanga was a wee bit aggravating, and I have no computer skills whatsoever. It’s a mite difficult to work with html when you still type with only two fingers.  But the truth is, I do enjoy writing and I like to read blogs.  I just can’t seem to get things started.

Perhaps a bit of self-disclosure would be help. My name is Chuck Beem, and a 23 year old living in St. Charles Missouri.  I have been married to Becky since May of 2005, and we have a 1 year old named Isaiah Ransom. This Christmas, we hope to celebrate the arrival of our second son, Elijah Hudson. 

 I have been a Christian since I was 8 years old. Throughout my junior high and high school years I wore this as a badge of pride and arrogance, all the while living a double life in which I revelled in lust and ambition and, above all, self-importance. I nearly threw away college because I just didn’t feel like doing homework my last 4 years of high school, but God provided a large amount of scholarships which allowed me to attend Missouri Baptist University.

My first year at MoBap was pretty much the same. I was a youth ministry major (i.e., I thought it meant I never had to grow up) who spent my time doing what so many college students do: nothing. I worked a little, went to class even less, and on average went to bed around 5:00 am. By May, I was on the verge of academic probation and heavily in debt.

And then sophomore year happened. My theology professor accidentally used another professor’s syllabus (how is beyond me) and  we were ‘accidentally’ assigned the book ‘The Pleasures of God’ by John Piper. He eventually caught on and unassigned the assigned assignment, but by then the damage was done: I had encountered a buzzsaw known affectionately as TULIP.

At first I hated this menacing flower, and I sought with all my might to disprove the Pied Piper. Every verse of Scripture I checked and rechecked and crossreferenced (and if you’ve read Piper, that’s quite a task!). Relentlessly, Reformed soteriology loomed overhead like a menacing monster of masterful logic and exposition. I was caught dead to rights, and I knew it.

Thus began the revolution that destroyed everything I thought I stood for. God, through the faithful teaching of His word via a textbook, had created in me an insatiable desire to know Him. I had never really dug into the Bible before; now it was all I wanted to do. I began poring over Scripture and commentaries and books and history texts and theological journals and sermons. In short, I was 100% changed.

Fast forward to today. I am married to a beautiful, Godly, and intense challenging (in all the best ways, no complaint intended!) woman whom I met in Greek class. I graduated with degrees in missions and historical theology in 2006, and I am currently working while I await the opportunity to either serve in full time ministry or go to seminary. I teach 11th and 12th Sunday School, which is so much better than I ever imagined. Most of all, love God and desire to know Him more- not always with the same intensity level, but it’s always there.  

I hope that all didn’t sound arrogant. I just like it when I know about the people whose blogs or books I am reading, so I thought I’d return the favor.

Hopefully someone else will actually read this, too.  

Anyone else?