Hello, my name is Joshua Manning. I recently graduated from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana, with a degree in English. I'll be going to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette to intern under Eric Treuil this August.

While I was on campus, I'll admit at times I was tempted to cheat or to bend the rules a bit to get a better grade. At times I wanted to take the easy way out. As an English major, it was a big temptation to just read the Cliff Note's version for the texts I didn't like - Shakespeare, Moby Dick, etc And yes, sometimes I did give in to that temptation - I didn't read the text and I just did what I had to do to get by. To my detriment. Yeah, I may have passed a quiz or a paper, but when it came time to take the final, those Cliff Notes didn't help out much. I didn't fail the class, but I know I made a bunch of goofy guesses.

Now, the reason why I sometimes took the Cliff-Note-way-out, is because I forgot one of my main purposes for being on campus. Yeah, I know I was there to be a minister of the gospel and all, but sometimes I'd forget that another one of my major purposes was to get an education. Now, I don't think not knowing what Act 3, Scene 2, Line 13 of Macbeth makes me any less of a person, but when I skimp on doing what I'm required to do, I don't get the fullest experience possible. I'm not living up to my purpose.

God knew from the beginning that people, by their very sinful nature, would try to take the easy way out. That in an effort to do something "fun," we'd sometimes take the quick and easy way out. He realized that, as people, we would need reminders on what our purpose was, because when we remember our purpose, we remember why we are doing the things we should. One of those is Psalm One.

Now, as ministers on campus, we are going to be very busy individuals. Almost everyone I've talked to has promised me a 60+ hour work week. When you are on the go so much, and as you get caught up in the day to day routine of campus ministry, it will be extremely easy to forget what our purpose is. We'll be extremely tempted to take time away from our own person prayer life and our own Bible study time in order to minister in some way to students.

Let's go ahead and read Psalm One:

(1) How blessed in the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, / Nor stand in the path of sinners, / Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! / (2) But his delight is in the law of the Lord, / And in His law he meditates day and night. / (3) He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, / Which yields its fruit in its season / And its leaf does not wither; / And in whatever he does, he prospers.

(4) The wicked are not so, / But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. / (5) Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment , / Nor the sinners in the assembly of the righteous, / But the way of the wicked will perish.

Now, in reading this, two illustrations jumped out at me - the righteous are described as a tree and the wicked - or those who scoff God's law - are described as chaff.

I was having a conversation with fellow UL intern Logan Staggs while waiting for the bus for church on Sunday. And, you know, it was hot, and we were running out of things to talk about since we had just meet, and Logan decided to ask me one of those random questions:

"Josh," she said, "if you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?"

This kind of caught me off guard for several reasons. One, because it isn't a question I get asked much. And two, because it's actually a question I ask a lot of people back home, but decided to stay away from up here for the sake of trying to impress people. Go figure.

Well, I wasn't used to being on this end of the question, so I thought about it for a while and said, "I guess I'd have to be a Cypress tree since they are predominantly from Louisiana and I am predominantly from Louisiana."

"Oh," she said. "That makes sense."

Not wanting to let her one up me, I decided to follow-up with a good question of my own.

"So, Logan," I asked, "what kind of tree would you be?"

"I'd be a big strong oak with roots in Springfield, a thick trunk to lean against, and long branches with lots of leaves for all the handicapped kids to rest under."

I was, to say the least, completely and ashamedly impressed. She had beaten me at my own game.

I tell this story for because I realized then my limited view about trees.

While I looked for something geographical, Logan looked for a purpose. She wanted to help out the handicapped kids. A cypress tree just sits in the marsh stinking up the place - provides a place for the moss to grow. An oak provides shade for those who need it.

In this passage, I don't see it as just a coincidence that the word picture of a tree was used to describe the righteous man. The righteous man provides fruit for the kingdom of God. He has a purpose. He doesn't just sit around taking up space, but he "provides shade for the handicapped kids" - he gives of his time and his money to advance God's kingdom, God's priorities become his priorities. The righteous man knows his purpose and doesn't take short-cuts in the process. A tree cannot do that which it is designed not to do. A tree can't only grow half a fruit, but it's got to grow a whole fruit. And if a tree doesn't do what it is supposed to do, we cut it down and use it for another purpose - for either housing or heat or paper.

The unrighteous, however, are compared to chaff.

Webster's dictionary - a preacher's best friend - describes chaff as, among other thing, "fine-cut hay or stay used for fodder" and as "anything useless."

I don't know how familiar you are with the term canon fodder. They were basically the soldiers that, back in the day, went out first. They were sent out while the cannons fired. They were the soldiers that the commanders didn't necessarily have the highest regard for. They weren't seen as the best fighters. After an opposing army was finished using up all its heavy ammo on these guys, then the well trained soldiers would come out and fight.

You see, in God's eyes, the wicked are pretty much useless. They do Him no good. He considers them useless and as a substance ready for the fire. He says they will not be able to stand during judgment. They don't do what they were designed to do. They don't know their purpose.

Now let's quickly jump back to verse two. The Bible declares the righteous as one whose delight is in the law of the Lord. And who meditates on it day and night. The Message says that the righteous are thrilled to study God's word and that chew on the Scripture day and night.

As ministers of this word, we need to continually be students of the word. We cannot take shortcuts. We cannot take the easy way out and study the Cliff Notes version of the Bible. We have got to know our purpose, and be fruitful in that.