Saturday, October 31, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
ugh.
it doesn't seem to matter if I work really hard with incredible focus or not. the first rule of college life is that you will be up later than you expect, all the time.
I discovered how to say what I wanted to over break but at the time did not have words:
Lucas makes me feel like Christianity is not a children's story.
Do I make any of you stay up late pondering? Because I feel like some other people out there should be undergoing some of the same mental anguish as me. :P
I discovered how to say what I wanted to over break but at the time did not have words:
Lucas makes me feel like Christianity is not a children's story.
Do I make any of you stay up late pondering? Because I feel like some other people out there should be undergoing some of the same mental anguish as me. :P
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Oh! I forgot!
I originally wanted to post on my blog to just let you all know how happy I am that you are reading what I write! :) That makes me so excited! It gives me motivation to write more.
P.S. Don't forget about your assignment. It is due on Sunday.
P.S. Don't forget about your assignment. It is due on Sunday.
THIS is the true definition of "word-vomit."
uhhhh. fall break was not long enough. not at all. :(
being in lancaster made me think of all these things that speak of *home* to me...my room, passing horse-and-buggies, playing take-one, spades, food!, cousins, being snarky with my brother, sitting on the counter by the dishwasher and talking to my dad, being late or almost late to church, Frazz...
today if you asked me how i would define myself, my answer would be "lacking cohesiveness." i have no ability to string my thoughts together in one straight logical line. it's frustrating to be sure; i feel like i have lost control of my brain.
1.) in the bathroom we have these sheets of paper that ask a random question, like "What characteristics do you look for in a guy?" and "What brings you joy?" We rotate them all the time so there is always something new. The last one was "What brings you joy?" and I said grammatically correct science handouts. It's true. I get SO mad when there are too many commas! Or spelling errors! Or not enough commas!
I mean...if you even knew how many times I have gone back and edited this blog after I posted something...
2.) When I got back from fall break I was opening the door from the stairwell onto 3rd East when I heard "Is that Emily Harnish?" As I said "yes!" with my foot kicking the door open (my arms were full of my junk) I heard a (loud) yell and then people (Tessa and Thia) were mobbing me. And everyone was laughing. I finally got disentangled and realized half of my hall plus Jon and Zach were sitting in the hall waiting to welcome the stragglers as they finally arrived at EMU. :) Best welcome of my life.
3.) My African violet is blooming!
4.) Jordan Landis randomly contacted me today to ask how college is going...made me think, because I was like - how can i summarize EMU in a short enough paragraph to put on facebook? I found out he had swine flu, which made me think about people struggling with infectious disease all over the world. If you guys think about it pray for people who don't have access to good health care.
5.) Earlier I put up a draft of a post. I finally feel the need to expand on that.
So...
a.) Meg was talking about how we don't really live like hell is a real place. Meditate on that for a while.
b.) Alice - is awesome! hmm...Meg and Alice were in Thia and my room last week and we were talking about lots of things. One of them was churches in Egypt. Alice says that Coptic and Orthodox churches have a really good grasp on the holiness and glory of God. They don't dumb him down, in her words. And they realize that life isn't about us.
You know what a really interesting thing to do is? Think about how your religion came to be. First Christianity, then Protestantism, then Anabaptism. I have been musing on the theology of the Trinity recently, as well as the concept of hell. And if every word in the Bible is to be taken literally - and if it is not, then how should it be interpreted? In World Religions we have briefly talked about how different religions focus on orthodoxy (right belief) vs. orthopraxy (right action), and I have come to the conclusion that 1.) I'm glad I belong to a faith tradition within Christianity that focuses on servanthood and 2.) I think I need to study church history. I want to know about what was decided at different church councils in the 4th century, etc etc.
Also...I REALLY hope that I get into the cross-cultural to the Middle East next year. :/ Really, really, really...
c.) somewhere I heard God referred to as "the uncreated one." Isn't that a sweet description?
d.) Sometimes the Mennonite world feels too small. There is a certain professor that my friend has who is *scary* and she happens to have a facebook, and TWO of my relatives are her facebook friend! :O
That is so wrong.
AND, in a shout-out to Jess and Chad: Its also weird that you know Peter Dula. And that you call him Pete. My transitions teacher also does that...I guess that is what he went by in school, but it feels very odd seeing as how all of the students on campus call him by his full first name, and when they are referring to him in conversation, they often also use his last. It is sort of like he is a legend and we are all fangirls or something...I can't even count the number of times someone has heard I'm in World Religions and said "Is that a Peter Dula class?"
Anyway.
e.) I'm running out of motivation to finish "word-vomiting" my thoughts...I still have lots to do tonight. And Andrea will be here tomorrow!!!!!!! :D
So this will be my reminder to finish talking about the metaphor in my next post.
~~~~~~
I guess that's all. hah. That makes me think of watching looney tunes with my brother and porkey pig saying "th-th-th-that's all, folks!" ;)
being in lancaster made me think of all these things that speak of *home* to me...my room, passing horse-and-buggies, playing take-one, spades, food!, cousins, being snarky with my brother, sitting on the counter by the dishwasher and talking to my dad, being late or almost late to church, Frazz...
today if you asked me how i would define myself, my answer would be "lacking cohesiveness." i have no ability to string my thoughts together in one straight logical line. it's frustrating to be sure; i feel like i have lost control of my brain.
1.) in the bathroom we have these sheets of paper that ask a random question, like "What characteristics do you look for in a guy?" and "What brings you joy?" We rotate them all the time so there is always something new. The last one was "What brings you joy?" and I said grammatically correct science handouts. It's true. I get SO mad when there are too many commas! Or spelling errors! Or not enough commas!
I mean...if you even knew how many times I have gone back and edited this blog after I posted something...
2.) When I got back from fall break I was opening the door from the stairwell onto 3rd East when I heard "Is that Emily Harnish?" As I said "yes!" with my foot kicking the door open (my arms were full of my junk) I heard a (loud) yell and then people (Tessa and Thia) were mobbing me. And everyone was laughing. I finally got disentangled and realized half of my hall plus Jon and Zach were sitting in the hall waiting to welcome the stragglers as they finally arrived at EMU. :) Best welcome of my life.
3.) My African violet is blooming!
4.) Jordan Landis randomly contacted me today to ask how college is going...made me think, because I was like - how can i summarize EMU in a short enough paragraph to put on facebook? I found out he had swine flu, which made me think about people struggling with infectious disease all over the world. If you guys think about it pray for people who don't have access to good health care.
5.) Earlier I put up a draft of a post. I finally feel the need to expand on that.
So...
a.) Meg was talking about how we don't really live like hell is a real place. Meditate on that for a while.
b.) Alice - is awesome! hmm...Meg and Alice were in Thia and my room last week and we were talking about lots of things. One of them was churches in Egypt. Alice says that Coptic and Orthodox churches have a really good grasp on the holiness and glory of God. They don't dumb him down, in her words. And they realize that life isn't about us.
You know what a really interesting thing to do is? Think about how your religion came to be. First Christianity, then Protestantism, then Anabaptism. I have been musing on the theology of the Trinity recently, as well as the concept of hell. And if every word in the Bible is to be taken literally - and if it is not, then how should it be interpreted? In World Religions we have briefly talked about how different religions focus on orthodoxy (right belief) vs. orthopraxy (right action), and I have come to the conclusion that 1.) I'm glad I belong to a faith tradition within Christianity that focuses on servanthood and 2.) I think I need to study church history. I want to know about what was decided at different church councils in the 4th century, etc etc.
Also...I REALLY hope that I get into the cross-cultural to the Middle East next year. :/ Really, really, really...
c.) somewhere I heard God referred to as "the uncreated one." Isn't that a sweet description?
d.) Sometimes the Mennonite world feels too small. There is a certain professor that my friend has who is *scary* and she happens to have a facebook, and TWO of my relatives are her facebook friend! :O
That is so wrong.
AND, in a shout-out to Jess and Chad: Its also weird that you know Peter Dula. And that you call him Pete. My transitions teacher also does that...I guess that is what he went by in school, but it feels very odd seeing as how all of the students on campus call him by his full first name, and when they are referring to him in conversation, they often also use his last. It is sort of like he is a legend and we are all fangirls or something...I can't even count the number of times someone has heard I'm in World Religions and said "Is that a Peter Dula class?"
Anyway.
e.) I'm running out of motivation to finish "word-vomiting" my thoughts...I still have lots to do tonight. And Andrea will be here tomorrow!!!!!!! :D
So this will be my reminder to finish talking about the metaphor in my next post.
~~~~~~
I guess that's all. hah. That makes me think of watching looney tunes with my brother and porkey pig saying "th-th-th-that's all, folks!" ;)
Friday, October 23, 2009
I'm HOME!
Let's take a moment to glory in that fact, folks! AH.
Do you know how much I love this house and the people in it? :) :) :)
So. (Annie Dillard! Yay! Please read Living like Weasels!). I already got to have good conversation with my dad. I told him that I feel like I can word-vomit to him and he helps me clean it up. Which, you know, possibly not the prettiest word picture but probably one of the most complimentary ones I could give. You all know how much I love words; and if there is one thing I love more than just-words it is words-that-obey-me-and-mean-what-I-want.
And now I feel I must clarify a previous post, for my father's wisdom has pointed out that there is both faulty logic and emphasis on wrong words...horror of horrors.
I said, quoting a friend of a friend in a previous post, "We are democrats cause the church sucks so much." In talking about this with my Dad, I said that I think people possibly have values espoused by the Republican party but they think that the Democrats DO things that line up with their values, or something like that. To which my Dad said, "maybe Republicans are trying to teach the value of self-reliance/self-sustenance."
Yeah, I don't really have much to say to this. Cause he also pointed out that Republicans do deeds of compassion but possibly in secret? or something radical like that? Right.
So now I need to clarify this statement because it will be interpreted wrongly if the emphasis is placed on the word Democrat.
My clarification of what I meant to point out by quoting Meg's friend is this:
Please read that statement understanding the mindset of the speaker. Many young people feel disillusioned by church and feel like if church/God/religion is going to be meaningful at ALL, then the people belonging to said church/God/religion need to show compassion. We need to have actions that back up what we say. And I think a lot of people - my experience is young people, but maybe it is all people, i don't know - feel like churches contain lots of people who say really beautiful things but have a faith that if it was a flavor would taste like artificial grape. As in: really fake.
This entry on my blog is to say that I don't think Christians need to be conservative or liberal, Democrat or Republican, wealthy or poor, old or young...I am trying really hard to get past the labels I am so used to sticking on people. What I wanted to get across, and STRONGLY, is that if church is to be vital, it must be full of people who will show compassion at every turn. We need to see the pain of the world.
And - we need to make our faith have the tenor, timbre, taste of the real.
See how wise my daddy is? :)
Oh, there's no place like home.
Do you know how much I love this house and the people in it? :) :) :)
So. (Annie Dillard! Yay! Please read Living like Weasels!). I already got to have good conversation with my dad. I told him that I feel like I can word-vomit to him and he helps me clean it up. Which, you know, possibly not the prettiest word picture but probably one of the most complimentary ones I could give. You all know how much I love words; and if there is one thing I love more than just-words it is words-that-obey-me-and-mean-what-I-want.
And now I feel I must clarify a previous post, for my father's wisdom has pointed out that there is both faulty logic and emphasis on wrong words...horror of horrors.
I said, quoting a friend of a friend in a previous post, "We are democrats cause the church sucks so much." In talking about this with my Dad, I said that I think people possibly have values espoused by the Republican party but they think that the Democrats DO things that line up with their values, or something like that. To which my Dad said, "maybe Republicans are trying to teach the value of self-reliance/self-sustenance."
Yeah, I don't really have much to say to this. Cause he also pointed out that Republicans do deeds of compassion but possibly in secret? or something radical like that? Right.
So now I need to clarify this statement because it will be interpreted wrongly if the emphasis is placed on the word Democrat.
My clarification of what I meant to point out by quoting Meg's friend is this:
Please read that statement understanding the mindset of the speaker. Many young people feel disillusioned by church and feel like if church/God/religion is going to be meaningful at ALL, then the people belonging to said church/God/religion need to show compassion. We need to have actions that back up what we say. And I think a lot of people - my experience is young people, but maybe it is all people, i don't know - feel like churches contain lots of people who say really beautiful things but have a faith that if it was a flavor would taste like artificial grape. As in: really fake.
This entry on my blog is to say that I don't think Christians need to be conservative or liberal, Democrat or Republican, wealthy or poor, old or young...I am trying really hard to get past the labels I am so used to sticking on people. What I wanted to get across, and STRONGLY, is that if church is to be vital, it must be full of people who will show compassion at every turn. We need to see the pain of the world.
And - we need to make our faith have the tenor, timbre, taste of the real.
See how wise my daddy is? :)
Oh, there's no place like home.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The mind that is not baffled is not employed. The impeded stream is the one that sings.
I am despairing of ever learning to think well. Or of knowing how to think; as a philosopher, as a theologian, as a scientist, as a woman - to what should I aspire? Because what and/or who we define ourselves as determines to some extent how we think, right? [Is this right? tell me!]
Occasionally I am able to fool myself into thinking that I am quite knowlegable...I imagine that [for my age, of course] I am well read; I imagine I think logically with a high degree of insight. Then something happens that strips away my pride and reminds me that in a most basic and deep way, I know just about nothing.
Sadly, I am not going to get to take a lot of pondering-intensive classes til my senior year here, but someday I'm going to take Intro to Philosophy. I am. I am.
In the meantime, here is some excellent writing to ponder:
"'You have been given questions to which you cannot be given answers. You will have to live them out - perhaps a little at a time.'
'And how long is that going to take?'
'I don't know. As long as you live, perhaps.'
'That could be a long time.'
'I will tell you a further mystery,' he said. 'It may take longer.'"
— Wendell Berry (Jayber Crow)
Occasionally I am able to fool myself into thinking that I am quite knowlegable...I imagine that [for my age, of course] I am well read; I imagine I think logically with a high degree of insight. Then something happens that strips away my pride and reminds me that in a most basic and deep way, I know just about nothing.
Sadly, I am not going to get to take a lot of pondering-intensive classes til my senior year here, but someday I'm going to take Intro to Philosophy. I am. I am.
In the meantime, here is some excellent writing to ponder:
"'You have been given questions to which you cannot be given answers. You will have to live them out - perhaps a little at a time.'
'And how long is that going to take?'
'I don't know. As long as you live, perhaps.'
'That could be a long time.'
'I will tell you a further mystery,' he said. 'It may take longer.'"
— Wendell Berry (Jayber Crow)
Monday, October 19, 2009
An assignment for my faithful readers...
the day that i took those pictures i put on my blog, i posted pictures on my facebook with this discription:
"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars."
i don't know where i found that quote but i love it. and so thia and i have been thinking about how we can be mad for life. here is how i was mad for life today: i skipped bio.
super irresponsible, right? i suppose anything i say in defense of this will sound like a spoiled teen justifying her way out of work. but hear me out -
instead of sitting through a class of stuff i learned in high school [i can do the Hardy-Weinburg calcs in my sleep], i took Pilgrim at Tinker Creek to the second floor of the campus center and read while i overlooked the Shenandoah valley. it was gorgeous. my soul feasted on beauty, and in Annie Dillard's words, "I am still spending the power." today was my own small search for the tree with lights in it...today was learning how to see, and in seeing, learning to love.
Read these words and speak your soul alive.
"It is still the first week in January, and I've got great plans. I've been thinking about seeing. There are lots of things to see, unwrapped gifts and free surprises. The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But - and this is the point - who gets excited by a mere penny? If you follow one arrow, if you crouch motionless on a bank to watch a tremulous ripple thrill on the water and are rewarded by the sight of a muskrat kit paddling from its den, will you count that sight a chip of copper only, and go on your rueful way? It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted in pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. What you see is what you get."
So, students, here is your assignment for today: find a metaphorical penny and tell me about it. Due date Nov. 1
:) Have fun!
"The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars."
i don't know where i found that quote but i love it. and so thia and i have been thinking about how we can be mad for life. here is how i was mad for life today: i skipped bio.
super irresponsible, right? i suppose anything i say in defense of this will sound like a spoiled teen justifying her way out of work. but hear me out -
instead of sitting through a class of stuff i learned in high school [i can do the Hardy-Weinburg calcs in my sleep], i took Pilgrim at Tinker Creek to the second floor of the campus center and read while i overlooked the Shenandoah valley. it was gorgeous. my soul feasted on beauty, and in Annie Dillard's words, "I am still spending the power." today was my own small search for the tree with lights in it...today was learning how to see, and in seeing, learning to love.
Read these words and speak your soul alive.
"It is still the first week in January, and I've got great plans. I've been thinking about seeing. There are lots of things to see, unwrapped gifts and free surprises. The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from a generous hand. But - and this is the point - who gets excited by a mere penny? If you follow one arrow, if you crouch motionless on a bank to watch a tremulous ripple thrill on the water and are rewarded by the sight of a muskrat kit paddling from its den, will you count that sight a chip of copper only, and go on your rueful way? It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so malnourished and fatigued that he won't stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted in pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple. What you see is what you get."
So, students, here is your assignment for today: find a metaphorical penny and tell me about it. Due date Nov. 1
:) Have fun!
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Important News Here!
Ok, here is my long-awaited post on what Honors was like on Thursday.
I was teaching with Erika Babikow, and we had the priveledge of bringing together President Swartzendruber's presentation with the rest of the classes we have had as Honors students. The president spoke about what it is like to be the leader of a university and the types of issues he has had to deal with in the past. [Ironically enough I overslept on Tuesday and was late to class. Most embarressing thing to happen to me since I've been here...]
So we had to decide after his class on Tuesday what we would talk about on Thursday. It was difficult because so much was discussed, but we ended up honing in on his statement that we can choose what we want to become. The idea of choice became central to our class on Thursday.
We had the students read this essay by Annie Dillard: http://www.sheftman.com/ewrt1a/dillard/weasel.html
and asked them these questions:
1. What is your necessity and how are you living in it?
2. Is there a correlation between the president's words of choosing how we live and the last few paragraphs of Living Like Weasels?
3. Meditate on the phrases below and at least one other that shimmers to you and write a sentence in response... A. I would like to live as I should B. We can live any way we want. People take vows of poverty, chastity,and obedience--even of silence--by choice. C. I think it would be well, and proper, and obedient, and pure, to grasp your one necessity and not let it go.
4. What connections do you see between previous classes and Loren's talk?
5. In previous classes we have often heard Judy say that "everyone has strengths, everyone is creative, everyone leads from every chair." Yet we do not always see this lived out in our lives. How do we CHOOSE to live our strengths/be a leader/be creative? How much of our success is genetics or intuitive and how much is personal choice? In what ways do we fail?
We divided up the class into two groups, originally calling them talkers and non-talkers. I was the leader of the talker group. :) The discussion went ok. Not perfect, but good. And it wasn't as awkward as it could have been.
Anyway, after completing our class, Erika and I had to respond to some questions by Judy. She asked us about how we divided up the class and wondered if it was a good idea. I responded by reframing our decision as "Snap decision makers" versus "Processors," and she thought those were better labels. I think that Judy liked the direction that we led the class overall. It was a good experience.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
On Friday night we went and listened to the jazz ensemble in the common grounds. Jon is an amazing guitarist...he made me miss Chris Kefer and James Wolpert. :( And I was surprised by James Souder; he is in my honors class and plays tenor sax - and he is amazing! So in turn I also missed Cheryl and Chris and Abe and ... yeah, I was a bit nostalgic on Friday night.
Today - wait, is it Sunday already? what? ok, I really should sleep now - I went to Gift and Thrift and bought 4 hard cover books for $3.89. That has to be the best use of $3.89 EVER. And I got a copy of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek! I am just on an Annie Dillard kick, I guess. Ha. I also bought two books by Mark Twain and a book by Brock and Bodie Thoene.
This evening I went to a soccer game with Mariah, Kathryn and Jon. It was cold and wet and fun, and I missed my brother. Can't wait for fall break. Hey D - you better be pretty funny over Thanksgiving, I've been talking you up to Thia and Molly! :)
I still want to write about "The Rich Young Rulers." Basically, some really awesome people from Walking Disciples are planning a revolution. Key names to remember: Rebekah, Lucas, Alice, Meg.
I'm not quite sure how to write about this. I sort of stumbled across their discussion by accident. And you sort of have to know their back stories and - oh, I'm not going to be able to explain this at all. Ok. All of these people are involved at OCP and they care about people. A lot. Rebekah suggested that we give half our clothes away, for example...
So we were talking about this book called Rich Christians in a Hungry World (I think...I need to double check about the title) and we started talking about wealth. And people who want to be wealthy. People going to college so they can be wealthy. Alice said that she has talked to people who think she is totally batty for not wanting power or wealth but instead wanting to just BE with people and to hang out with them. Basically to love. Then Lucas started to talk. And I was astounded.
He spoke of the Rich Young Ruler that is written of in the gospels. Meg had been saying that we need to interact with people in the church who are wealthy, and Lucas said that "it is dangerous to legitimize this [lifestyle]...I've been reading the story of the Rich Young Ruler and I have been thinking about our interpretation. We say that it is difficult for a rich man to enter heaven, but could it not also be read as it is difficult for a rich man to give up his wealth? Eye of the needle difficult? It is easier to hold on to our wealth and to pray for grace that it is to live like Jesus said."
This is a paraphrase, for sure, but word for word in these two phrases: "It is dangerous to legitimize this" and "It is easier to pray for grace."
So Alice chimes in with, "We need to love until it costs something."
They want to build a confession booth. More precisely, a reverse confession booth, of the type described in Blue Like Jazz. They want us to confess to each other each week. They want to read the Bible out loud to each other every day. They want to love until it costs something.
What is faith? What is this thing we call Christianity? Who is Jesus? Do I look like him?
I remember one of them saying that they have met more people at EMU who are purposely deciding they will not seek wealth than anywhere else they have been, but they also spoke of people at this campus who do not understand that there are people in Harrisonburg who are homeless.
I wonder where I fit in on that continuum. What would I give up? Have I ever loved anyone til it cost something?
Lucas, with his crazy dreads and ripped sweats and radical ideas, makes me want to live this til it is something real. I'm not ready to give up half my clothes. I'm not even ready to stop gossiping, to tell the truth. My heart is a work in progress. But amazingly, astoundingly, miraculously enough - somewhere between the influences of the theology I'm learning, the challenges of my academics, and the disciples I am meeting, seeds are being planted in fertile ground.
That was a long post, but worthwhile, yes?
Edit:
Oh! I just remembered something! A few weeks ago Thia and I were talking to Meg...long story, interesting ideas, etc etc, and Meg said [quoting a friend of hers] "We're Democrats because the church sucks so much." And two weeks ago during honors Elias said that if we are dividing the body of Christ into various parts based on fuctions as illustrated in the passage in Corinthians, then the modern American church is a giant appendix.
Ouch! Wake up, chuch USA! Now would be the time.
I was teaching with Erika Babikow, and we had the priveledge of bringing together President Swartzendruber's presentation with the rest of the classes we have had as Honors students. The president spoke about what it is like to be the leader of a university and the types of issues he has had to deal with in the past. [Ironically enough I overslept on Tuesday and was late to class. Most embarressing thing to happen to me since I've been here...]
So we had to decide after his class on Tuesday what we would talk about on Thursday. It was difficult because so much was discussed, but we ended up honing in on his statement that we can choose what we want to become. The idea of choice became central to our class on Thursday.
We had the students read this essay by Annie Dillard: http://www.sheftman.com/ewrt1a/dillard/weasel.html
and asked them these questions:
1. What is your necessity and how are you living in it?
2. Is there a correlation between the president's words of choosing how we live and the last few paragraphs of Living Like Weasels?
3. Meditate on the phrases below and at least one other that shimmers to you and write a sentence in response... A. I would like to live as I should B. We can live any way we want. People take vows of poverty, chastity,and obedience--even of silence--by choice. C. I think it would be well, and proper, and obedient, and pure, to grasp your one necessity and not let it go.
4. What connections do you see between previous classes and Loren's talk?
5. In previous classes we have often heard Judy say that "everyone has strengths, everyone is creative, everyone leads from every chair." Yet we do not always see this lived out in our lives. How do we CHOOSE to live our strengths/be a leader/be creative? How much of our success is genetics or intuitive and how much is personal choice? In what ways do we fail?
We divided up the class into two groups, originally calling them talkers and non-talkers. I was the leader of the talker group. :) The discussion went ok. Not perfect, but good. And it wasn't as awkward as it could have been.
Anyway, after completing our class, Erika and I had to respond to some questions by Judy. She asked us about how we divided up the class and wondered if it was a good idea. I responded by reframing our decision as "Snap decision makers" versus "Processors," and she thought those were better labels. I think that Judy liked the direction that we led the class overall. It was a good experience.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
On Friday night we went and listened to the jazz ensemble in the common grounds. Jon is an amazing guitarist...he made me miss Chris Kefer and James Wolpert. :( And I was surprised by James Souder; he is in my honors class and plays tenor sax - and he is amazing! So in turn I also missed Cheryl and Chris and Abe and ... yeah, I was a bit nostalgic on Friday night.
Today - wait, is it Sunday already? what? ok, I really should sleep now - I went to Gift and Thrift and bought 4 hard cover books for $3.89. That has to be the best use of $3.89 EVER. And I got a copy of Pilgrim at Tinker Creek! I am just on an Annie Dillard kick, I guess. Ha. I also bought two books by Mark Twain and a book by Brock and Bodie Thoene.
This evening I went to a soccer game with Mariah, Kathryn and Jon. It was cold and wet and fun, and I missed my brother. Can't wait for fall break. Hey D - you better be pretty funny over Thanksgiving, I've been talking you up to Thia and Molly! :)
I still want to write about "The Rich Young Rulers." Basically, some really awesome people from Walking Disciples are planning a revolution. Key names to remember: Rebekah, Lucas, Alice, Meg.
I'm not quite sure how to write about this. I sort of stumbled across their discussion by accident. And you sort of have to know their back stories and - oh, I'm not going to be able to explain this at all. Ok. All of these people are involved at OCP and they care about people. A lot. Rebekah suggested that we give half our clothes away, for example...
So we were talking about this book called Rich Christians in a Hungry World (I think...I need to double check about the title) and we started talking about wealth. And people who want to be wealthy. People going to college so they can be wealthy. Alice said that she has talked to people who think she is totally batty for not wanting power or wealth but instead wanting to just BE with people and to hang out with them. Basically to love. Then Lucas started to talk. And I was astounded.
He spoke of the Rich Young Ruler that is written of in the gospels. Meg had been saying that we need to interact with people in the church who are wealthy, and Lucas said that "it is dangerous to legitimize this [lifestyle]...I've been reading the story of the Rich Young Ruler and I have been thinking about our interpretation. We say that it is difficult for a rich man to enter heaven, but could it not also be read as it is difficult for a rich man to give up his wealth? Eye of the needle difficult? It is easier to hold on to our wealth and to pray for grace that it is to live like Jesus said."
This is a paraphrase, for sure, but word for word in these two phrases: "It is dangerous to legitimize this" and "It is easier to pray for grace."
So Alice chimes in with, "We need to love until it costs something."
They want to build a confession booth. More precisely, a reverse confession booth, of the type described in Blue Like Jazz. They want us to confess to each other each week. They want to read the Bible out loud to each other every day. They want to love until it costs something.
What is faith? What is this thing we call Christianity? Who is Jesus? Do I look like him?
I remember one of them saying that they have met more people at EMU who are purposely deciding they will not seek wealth than anywhere else they have been, but they also spoke of people at this campus who do not understand that there are people in Harrisonburg who are homeless.
I wonder where I fit in on that continuum. What would I give up? Have I ever loved anyone til it cost something?
Lucas, with his crazy dreads and ripped sweats and radical ideas, makes me want to live this til it is something real. I'm not ready to give up half my clothes. I'm not even ready to stop gossiping, to tell the truth. My heart is a work in progress. But amazingly, astoundingly, miraculously enough - somewhere between the influences of the theology I'm learning, the challenges of my academics, and the disciples I am meeting, seeds are being planted in fertile ground.
That was a long post, but worthwhile, yes?
Edit:
Oh! I just remembered something! A few weeks ago Thia and I were talking to Meg...long story, interesting ideas, etc etc, and Meg said [quoting a friend of hers] "We're Democrats because the church sucks so much." And two weeks ago during honors Elias said that if we are dividing the body of Christ into various parts based on fuctions as illustrated in the passage in Corinthians, then the modern American church is a giant appendix.
Ouch! Wake up, chuch USA! Now would be the time.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Jazzzzz. my soul feels full.
The sound that my heart makes after an hour and a half of jazz music is something like ahhhhhyessssssss. :)
mmmm. mmmmmmmm. :)
mmmm. mmmmmmmm. :)
Thursday, October 15, 2009
I did it! I did it!
I kept the secret that Thia's sister is coming to visit...now she's here and I can share that I kept this secret for like a MONTH and I didn't tell anyone til yesterday! Ha! I do so have self-discipline. :D And Thia never suspected. :D :D :D
This is to serve as a reminder to tell you all ... y'all?...about the Rich Young Rulers.
Tomorrow - no wait. Today I am teaching Honors. AHHHHH! So scared.
This is to serve as a reminder to tell you all ... y'all?...about the Rich Young Rulers.
Tomorrow - no wait. Today I am teaching Honors. AHHHHH! So scared.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
random news
i feel like my blog is running wild...i have way too many posts. i think its writing itself. hah.
i get to come home soon! yay!
tomorrow i am teaching honors with Erika. i'm already feeling the nerves.
I got to watch NCIS today. Didn't have to go on the Bio field trip! It is supposed to snow this weekend... There is a surprise heading thia's way and she doesn't know what it is...
I feel random. :D
i get to come home soon! yay!
tomorrow i am teaching honors with Erika. i'm already feeling the nerves.
I got to watch NCIS today. Didn't have to go on the Bio field trip! It is supposed to snow this weekend... There is a surprise heading thia's way and she doesn't know what it is...
I feel random. :D
Monday, October 12, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
soul mate
thia and i are quality procrastinators.
today thia was killing time and took a random online personality test...it was one of those weird ones with questions like "put the name of a person next to this color." so she put my name next to white, and it turns out that I am Thia's twin soul. :P
which is funny but also scarily applicable...as we continually talk about how we are one and the same soul.
p.s. molly just came into my room and called me "productiveness sam."
today thia was killing time and took a random online personality test...it was one of those weird ones with questions like "put the name of a person next to this color." so she put my name next to white, and it turns out that I am Thia's twin soul. :P
which is funny but also scarily applicable...as we continually talk about how we are one and the same soul.
p.s. molly just came into my room and called me "productiveness sam."
Awesome day
Vicarious Settlers, laughing, Dutch Blitz, videotaping Dutch Blitz, screaming (apparently too loud...), Women of Lockerbie, making paper flowers, sleeping, Suter Science Seminar, laughing, inside jokes, laughing, randomly seeing Nathan and Arlene Hege [I love them :) ], reading Sophie's World, figuring out my spring schedule, finding out Globalization & Justice is crosslisted under Biblical Studies, laughing, shrieking, listening to Jon Foreman and Jars and Glad and oddly enough Keith Hershberger ...
What an awesome day.
I really really love Saturdays.
What an awesome day.
I really really love Saturdays.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Difference between men and women
One word. TRANSFORMERS.
My response: I think my attention span just decreased by 30%. At least.
Thia's response: To steal Stewart's words, I would rather be in a coma. I feel my brain cells dying.
Jon's response: This is the greatest thing ever! They were going to blow up the SUN! Dude!
Every time I feel smart, something has to come along to remind me that I don't understand everything. ;)
My response: I think my attention span just decreased by 30%. At least.
Thia's response: To steal Stewart's words, I would rather be in a coma. I feel my brain cells dying.
Jon's response: This is the greatest thing ever! They were going to blow up the SUN! Dude!
Every time I feel smart, something has to come along to remind me that I don't understand everything. ;)
Friday, October 9, 2009
Question of the Day
Is it ethical to skip an Ethics class in order to help someone who can't speak English very well with their chem homework?
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
homework monsters
a homework monster came out of no where and bit my head off.
all of a sudden i realized that i have a HUGE amount of things that need to be read! soon! and a paper to write by Friday that apparently needs sources! and a test next week! and I missed chem today and IRONICALLY THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT CHEM COVERED SOMETHING I DON'T REMEMBER FROM HIGH SCHOOL.
ugh. this day sucked.
all of a sudden i realized that i have a HUGE amount of things that need to be read! soon! and a paper to write by Friday that apparently needs sources! and a test next week! and I missed chem today and IRONICALLY THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT CHEM COVERED SOMETHING I DON'T REMEMBER FROM HIGH SCHOOL.
ugh. this day sucked.
Inspired by mjb
A friend of mine in college has a blog and she just wrote about a 6 word story by Ernest Hemingway. She tried to describe herself in 6 words. Here are my attempts:
Wants to be "contradiction in terms."
Reads all the time - too much?
Apparently is funny when not trying.
An EMU student through and through...
Loses train of thought when speaking.
Often laughs so hard she cries.
Wants to be "contradiction in terms."
Reads all the time - too much?
Apparently is funny when not trying.
An EMU student through and through...
Loses train of thought when speaking.
Often laughs so hard she cries.
grrrr.
I slept outside on Discipleship Hill last night, in solidarity with refugees around the world. It was pretty sweet...walking up the hill in the dark, dragging blankets and sleeping bags, not knowing exactly where we were going felt like a sort of pilgrimage. When we arrived, we sang the hymn I posted on my blog a few days ago and also a hymn that I learned at convention. It was so beautiful outside...I wanted to keep my glasses on so I could see everything.
I decided that sleeping outside, especially when you are sleeping outside for a specific purpose, is a sort of communion with humanity. I felt very happy.
Then it started to rain. So we left.... It was about 5:15 in the morning, and when I got back to my room I got back in my bunk, thinking about how ridiculous it is that I have like 18 square feet of mattress to lay on that is raised above the floor in an area where there aren't even rats.
But I still managed to fall asleep again, which is the reason I'm annoyed. I didn't sleep well outside; I woke up at least four times in about five hours. So I slept REALLY deeply, waking up part way at 9:00 and then falling asleep again. Guess when I woke up again? Five minutes after my chem class had started.
>:( grrr.
I decided that sleeping outside, especially when you are sleeping outside for a specific purpose, is a sort of communion with humanity. I felt very happy.
Then it started to rain. So we left.... It was about 5:15 in the morning, and when I got back to my room I got back in my bunk, thinking about how ridiculous it is that I have like 18 square feet of mattress to lay on that is raised above the floor in an area where there aren't even rats.
But I still managed to fall asleep again, which is the reason I'm annoyed. I didn't sleep well outside; I woke up at least four times in about five hours. So I slept REALLY deeply, waking up part way at 9:00 and then falling asleep again. Guess when I woke up again? Five minutes after my chem class had started.
>:( grrr.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Judy Mullet...
makes me think that I can think creatively. She says everyone can. Be creative, that is.
And she says that artists make people see the world in a new way; everyone can be an artist.
Today in Honors we had a lecture by a professor named Mark Metzler Sawin. He is a history prof who has traveled to Croatia as a Fulbright scholar, teaching school kids there about the history of racial segregation and the eventual Civil Rights movement in America. He used music as his medium, asking - What drives social change? Laws? or something else?
The "something else" that he came up with was pop culture.
So today I had this huge crash course on the history of music in America, beginning with blues in the deep South states of Louisiana and Missippi, and ending with Rock and Roll and HipHop. And as I had black culture on the mind, I thought of this poem:
http://www.poetry-archive.com/j/the_creation.html
...which I remembered because I absolutely adore the ending:
Toiling over a lump of clay
Till He shaped it in His own image;
Then into it He blew the breath of life,
And man became a living soul.
Amen. Amen.
And anyway, I just thought of this poem and then I was excited because I connected Honors and History taught by Mark Sawin to Biology and Creation and to Literature and to Ethics where we are soon talking about LAND and Creation Care and to the idea of rhythm and I think I just had a creative moment! ha. I guess this probably doesn't mean much to anyone else, but right now I just feel like I am shooting my brain backwards in time to before all my excess neural connections were pruned. Like...everything seems like it connects. Even random things like sleeping on the hill in solidarity with refugees makes me think of Ethics and the idea of justice and it reminds me of Jess Sarriot who is running a club to promote divestment of money in Israel try to force just action towards Palestinians. Which reminds me of World Religions and Judaism. Which reminds me of my textbook No God but God - which is explaining the roots, theology, and future of Islam. Which makes me think of A Thousand Splendid Suns [reference my sweet new list of FAVORITE BOOKS to the right!] and literature; makes me think of the importance of poetry!!!! in culture and how nice it is to be surrounded by a whole huge community of people who read. Even boys read. Every time I write that statement I feel like I have found my true home at last... ;)
So anyway. Rejoice with me in the return of my brain to its infant form.
And she says that artists make people see the world in a new way; everyone can be an artist.
Today in Honors we had a lecture by a professor named Mark Metzler Sawin. He is a history prof who has traveled to Croatia as a Fulbright scholar, teaching school kids there about the history of racial segregation and the eventual Civil Rights movement in America. He used music as his medium, asking - What drives social change? Laws? or something else?
The "something else" that he came up with was pop culture.
So today I had this huge crash course on the history of music in America, beginning with blues in the deep South states of Louisiana and Missippi, and ending with Rock and Roll and HipHop. And as I had black culture on the mind, I thought of this poem:
http://www.poetry-archive.com/j/the_creation.html
...which I remembered because I absolutely adore the ending:
Toiling over a lump of clay
Till He shaped it in His own image;
Then into it He blew the breath of life,
And man became a living soul.
Amen. Amen.
And anyway, I just thought of this poem and then I was excited because I connected Honors and History taught by Mark Sawin to Biology and Creation and to Literature and to Ethics where we are soon talking about LAND and Creation Care and to the idea of rhythm and I think I just had a creative moment! ha. I guess this probably doesn't mean much to anyone else, but right now I just feel like I am shooting my brain backwards in time to before all my excess neural connections were pruned. Like...everything seems like it connects. Even random things like sleeping on the hill in solidarity with refugees makes me think of Ethics and the idea of justice and it reminds me of Jess Sarriot who is running a club to promote divestment of money in Israel try to force just action towards Palestinians. Which reminds me of World Religions and Judaism. Which reminds me of my textbook No God but God - which is explaining the roots, theology, and future of Islam. Which makes me think of A Thousand Splendid Suns [reference my sweet new list of FAVORITE BOOKS to the right!] and literature; makes me think of the importance of poetry!!!! in culture and how nice it is to be surrounded by a whole huge community of people who read. Even boys read. Every time I write that statement I feel like I have found my true home at last... ;)
So anyway. Rejoice with me in the return of my brain to its infant form.
Monday, October 5, 2009
I just remembered...
...Something incredibly awesome! Yesterday when walking disciples was eating together - wait; first I should say, yesterday all the students in Walking Disciples ate supper together! In Maplewood! We made the food! :D Ok. So yesterday when we were eating together, Amanda was talking about the Swine Flu and how this one person was talking about it on the radio and they had the flu and slept for like 3 weeks and all they did was watch TV. And then Stewart said that he would rather be in a coma for 3 weeks than watch TV for 3 weeks. And then he was like, "Well, I guess I would just read."
The conversation just kept moving on, but I was stuck on that for...well, I'm still thinking about that, so...
Anyway. I know people who READ. :) :) :) :) :)
Just in case you guys haven't figured this out yet - I LOVE COLLEGE. I WANT TO BE IN SCHOOL FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.
The conversation just kept moving on, but I was stuck on that for...well, I'm still thinking about that, so...
Anyway. I know people who READ. :) :) :) :) :)
Just in case you guys haven't figured this out yet - I LOVE COLLEGE. I WANT TO BE IN SCHOOL FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Learning to be
Yesterday we played in leaves and climbed trees.
In one sense I did not use my time well yesterday - I spent 2.5 hours at the MCC sale, I visited a farmer's market, I slept the afternoon away, I played in leaves.
I did no homework.
But then I think of words, of poetry, of
I go among trees and sit still.
All my stirring becomes quiet
around me like circles on water.
In one sense I did not use my time well yesterday - I spent 2.5 hours at the MCC sale, I visited a farmer's market, I slept the afternoon away, I played in leaves.
I did no homework.
But then I think of words, of poetry, of
I go among trees and sit still.
All my stirring becomes quiet
around me like circles on water.
I think of
The literature of illumination reveals this above all: although [the gift of seeing] comes to those who wait for it, it is always, even to the most practiced and adept, a gift and total surprise.
I think of the miracle of passive voice, the joy of learning to be, the grace of living in the present tense.
I think that yesterday, I lived just as I needed. As Annie Dillard said, I held on for dearer life; I live[d] as I should.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Community - Menno and otherwise
today i volunteered at the Virginia MCC Relief Sale...
lets just say that 6:00 is WAY too early to get up when you only fell asleep at 2:00 that morning. Ha.
But still. It was like a taste of home - essentially Lancaster Menno culture, sans the shoofly pie. Interestingly, I saw my supervisor from VMRC and the lady from admissions who helps run Royals Society.
Then we [Amanda, Meg, and I] stopped by the farmer's market on the way back. I saw one of my professors there! :D And I learned about this really sweet urban farm that is looking for volunteers. I think that Walking Disciples might do stuff there this spring.
Now I'm in my room, torn between taking a nap and going outside to enjoy this day which is absolutely breathtaking.
P.S. I was on facebook and came across this on my news feed:
Jonathan Nyce thinks marriage is a wicked sweet thing to aspire to.
I had a moment of internally shouting with laughter. Man. I love the community here. :) :) :)
lets just say that 6:00 is WAY too early to get up when you only fell asleep at 2:00 that morning. Ha.
But still. It was like a taste of home - essentially Lancaster Menno culture, sans the shoofly pie. Interestingly, I saw my supervisor from VMRC and the lady from admissions who helps run Royals Society.
Then we [Amanda, Meg, and I] stopped by the farmer's market on the way back. I saw one of my professors there! :D And I learned about this really sweet urban farm that is looking for volunteers. I think that Walking Disciples might do stuff there this spring.
Now I'm in my room, torn between taking a nap and going outside to enjoy this day which is absolutely breathtaking.
P.S. I was on facebook and came across this on my news feed:
Jonathan Nyce thinks marriage is a wicked sweet thing to aspire to.
I had a moment of internally shouting with laughter. Man. I love the community here. :) :) :)
Friday, October 2, 2009
Canticle of the Turning
This is my new favorite song...its often heard around campus. :) If you don't know the tune, look for it on youtube. It won't sound as good as it does when there is 4-part harmony, though. Gotta love student lead hymn sings!
My soul cries out with a joyful shout
that the God of my heart is great,
And my spirit sings of the wondrous things
that you bring to the ones who wait.
You fixed your sight on the servant's plight,
and my weakness you did not spurn,
So from east to west shall my name be blest.
Could the world be about to turn?
My heart shall sing of the day you bring,
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all the tears, For the dawn draws near,
And the world is about to turn.
Though I am small, my God, my all,
you work great things in me,
And your mercy will last from the depths of the past
to the end of the age to be.
Your very name puts the proud to shame,
and to those who would for you yearn,
You will show your might, put the strong to flight,
for the world is about to turn.
My heart shall sing of the day you bring,
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all the tears, For the dawn draws near,
And the world is about to turn.
From the halls of power to the fortress tower,
not a stone will be left on stone.
Let the king beware for your justice tears
ev'ry tyrant from his throne.
The hungry poor shall weep no more,
for the food they can never earn;
These are tables spread,
ev'ry mouth be fed,
for the world is about to turn.
My heart shall sing of the day you bring,
Let the fires of you justice burn.
Wipe away all the tears, For the dawn draws near,
And the world is about to turn.
Though the nations rage from age to age,
we remember who holds us fast:
God's mercy must deliver us
from the conqueror's crushing grasp.
This saving word that our forebears heard
is the promise which holds us bound,
'Til the spear and rod can be crushed by God,
who is turning the world around.
My soul cries out with a joyful shout
that the God of my heart is great,
And my spirit sings of the wondrous things
that you bring to the ones who wait.
You fixed your sight on the servant's plight,
and my weakness you did not spurn,
So from east to west shall my name be blest.
Could the world be about to turn?
My heart shall sing of the day you bring,
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all the tears, For the dawn draws near,
And the world is about to turn.
Though I am small, my God, my all,
you work great things in me,
And your mercy will last from the depths of the past
to the end of the age to be.
Your very name puts the proud to shame,
and to those who would for you yearn,
You will show your might, put the strong to flight,
for the world is about to turn.
My heart shall sing of the day you bring,
Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all the tears, For the dawn draws near,
And the world is about to turn.
From the halls of power to the fortress tower,
not a stone will be left on stone.
Let the king beware for your justice tears
ev'ry tyrant from his throne.
The hungry poor shall weep no more,
for the food they can never earn;
These are tables spread,
ev'ry mouth be fed,
for the world is about to turn.
My heart shall sing of the day you bring,
Let the fires of you justice burn.
Wipe away all the tears, For the dawn draws near,
And the world is about to turn.
Though the nations rage from age to age,
we remember who holds us fast:
God's mercy must deliver us
from the conqueror's crushing grasp.
This saving word that our forebears heard
is the promise which holds us bound,
'Til the spear and rod can be crushed by God,
who is turning the world around.
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Further Stories of Life at EMU
people surprise me. i say this because of boys...who would have guessed? boys who talk, intelligently; boys who play guitar; boys who smear food on their face just to annoy me. :) it is nice to feel like i am beginning to have friends that are guys. it is nice to be surprised that some of them are [in general] mature. it is nice to feel like here in this place i belong.
ok. that was just in my head after the morning i had. now to the real purpose of this post.
mom told me that she thinks my blog gives a great impression of what social life is like at EMU, but she doesn't know anything about my classes! this is a decided change from high school, where i would come home every day and talk without ever shutting up about AP English, Government, Anat&Phys, Music Theory, Adv. Chem...........
yeah.
so, this post is to briefly inform you all about my academic life.
Honors: is pretty sweet. My class is in general not too talkative, which makes class difficult at times. I really really like most of the people in that class. There are a few who get on my nerves, but in a room of 19 'super-smart' kids, you can imagine that there are some egos to deal with. I do not excuse myself from this...I imagine that if I talked more, people might be annoyed with me too. There is one sophmore in that class, Stewart Nofziger. He is a really interesting person to talk to. Today I shared a project that I was working on for Honors and he said "that really resonated with me." I gave a little internal shout of happiness that I have finally met a guy who thinks and talks like me!!! haha. my professor, Judy Mullet, is amazing. she goes on lots of rabbit trails but she has interesting ideas of what education and learning should look like. I have learned a lot from her. A lot of it is non-traditional learning, but it is definitely really valuable stuff.
Biology: could be better. It is hard to be motivated in this class because it seems like what we are learning is very arbitrary and random. There is not a lot of organization in the way we move from topic to topic. Hopefully it will get better soon as we are switching professors next week. Next week we are entering a new unit that is dealing with the issues of putting faith and science together. Should be interesting.
Chem: rocks. I LOVE TARA KISHBAUGH. :) :) :) The class is way too easy for me; I should have tried to test out of it. I finished my last exam in half and hour and got over 100%. But Tara makes me want to pay attention anyway. Those of you who know me well know that I REALLY struggle to pay attention to schoolwork that I feel is not interesting or worth my time. So...I think it is a testament to Tara's awesome teaching skillz that I pay attention at all in Chem.
World Religions: .... I don't even know how to describe this. It is hard because I don't know anyone in the class. It is lonely, I guess. But I love it anyway. Learning about Islam now. Maybe the best way to describe how I feel about this class is to tell a brief true-life story. I am trying to figure out what classes I am taking next semester because we have to sign up soon for classes. I asked Thia, "do you think it's creepy for me to decide to take a class just because Peter Dula is the professor?" ....Yeah. For the record, he talked to her writing class and she was just as impressed as I am by his teaching; she told me I should take the class. so - maybe I will. Meg is going to be in the class, so even though it is a 300-level, I would know someone...
Ethics: super interesting topics/very monotonous professor. I'm hoping that will improve as we move out of the "textbook" portion of class and move into reading Animal Vegetable Miracle and Sabbath Economics among other things.
um...Transitions: basically a free counseling session every Tuesday. Got to meet Ben Bergey this past Tuesday; he doesn't know it but he is one of the reasons I decided to come to EMU. When I came down for Honors Weekend they had a meal catered for us in Martin Chapel, and before the meal Ben lead us in singing "God is Great." It was in four-part harmony, and it was at this moment that I was thinking, Yes, this place is for me. I need to belong here.
I have a question for you all:
should I take Spanish 1 next semester or Elementary Arabic? I would rather take Arabic but I'm sure Spanish would be more useful. Let me know what you think.
P.S. If you want to send me package...I need some gum.
ok. that was just in my head after the morning i had. now to the real purpose of this post.
mom told me that she thinks my blog gives a great impression of what social life is like at EMU, but she doesn't know anything about my classes! this is a decided change from high school, where i would come home every day and talk without ever shutting up about AP English, Government, Anat&Phys, Music Theory, Adv. Chem...........
yeah.
so, this post is to briefly inform you all about my academic life.
Honors: is pretty sweet. My class is in general not too talkative, which makes class difficult at times. I really really like most of the people in that class. There are a few who get on my nerves, but in a room of 19 'super-smart' kids, you can imagine that there are some egos to deal with. I do not excuse myself from this...I imagine that if I talked more, people might be annoyed with me too. There is one sophmore in that class, Stewart Nofziger. He is a really interesting person to talk to. Today I shared a project that I was working on for Honors and he said "that really resonated with me." I gave a little internal shout of happiness that I have finally met a guy who thinks and talks like me!!! haha. my professor, Judy Mullet, is amazing. she goes on lots of rabbit trails but she has interesting ideas of what education and learning should look like. I have learned a lot from her. A lot of it is non-traditional learning, but it is definitely really valuable stuff.
Biology: could be better. It is hard to be motivated in this class because it seems like what we are learning is very arbitrary and random. There is not a lot of organization in the way we move from topic to topic. Hopefully it will get better soon as we are switching professors next week. Next week we are entering a new unit that is dealing with the issues of putting faith and science together. Should be interesting.
Chem: rocks. I LOVE TARA KISHBAUGH. :) :) :) The class is way too easy for me; I should have tried to test out of it. I finished my last exam in half and hour and got over 100%. But Tara makes me want to pay attention anyway. Those of you who know me well know that I REALLY struggle to pay attention to schoolwork that I feel is not interesting or worth my time. So...I think it is a testament to Tara's awesome teaching skillz that I pay attention at all in Chem.
World Religions: .... I don't even know how to describe this. It is hard because I don't know anyone in the class. It is lonely, I guess. But I love it anyway. Learning about Islam now. Maybe the best way to describe how I feel about this class is to tell a brief true-life story. I am trying to figure out what classes I am taking next semester because we have to sign up soon for classes. I asked Thia, "do you think it's creepy for me to decide to take a class just because Peter Dula is the professor?" ....Yeah. For the record, he talked to her writing class and she was just as impressed as I am by his teaching; she told me I should take the class. so - maybe I will. Meg is going to be in the class, so even though it is a 300-level, I would know someone...
Ethics: super interesting topics/very monotonous professor. I'm hoping that will improve as we move out of the "textbook" portion of class and move into reading Animal Vegetable Miracle and Sabbath Economics among other things.
um...Transitions: basically a free counseling session every Tuesday. Got to meet Ben Bergey this past Tuesday; he doesn't know it but he is one of the reasons I decided to come to EMU. When I came down for Honors Weekend they had a meal catered for us in Martin Chapel, and before the meal Ben lead us in singing "God is Great." It was in four-part harmony, and it was at this moment that I was thinking, Yes, this place is for me. I need to belong here.
I have a question for you all:
should I take Spanish 1 next semester or Elementary Arabic? I would rather take Arabic but I'm sure Spanish would be more useful. Let me know what you think.
P.S. If you want to send me package...I need some gum.
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