Oxford Term: Week One

Friday, January 18, 2013

                A great deal has transpired between last weekend and now. I have now been in Oxford city proper for a week. While the week has been good and stressful at points, I feel like the stress of the Oxford education experience has not set in fully.  Academically, I feel like I had a solid week.  I was intending to meet a Don on Tuesday for my tutorial in Winston Churchill, however due to a late meeting we missed each other. I am not too worried about missing the initial meeting because we have had correspondence via email about the guidelines of the coursework and what he expects of me in my work. I am excited to dive into a subject that I have not had any background or study in previously.  Churchill is a character, that’s for sure. I have been researching his early career and his ties with “New Liberalism”- it astounds me the depth of information that is available to me at the Bodleian Library.

                This week, I studied mainly at “the Bod” (our nickname for the Bodleian) with frequent stops at the Christ Church Library. The library system over here is quite confusing. In Oxford, there are approximately 110 different libraries. However, as a visiting student I am only allowed access to the main-Bodleian- library and my college-Christ Church- library. An interesting factoid about the Bodleian- You can’t borrow any books from it, this is due to the thefts that took place some decades (perhaps centuries) ago in its history.  So, if I want to read for a tutorial at home, I have to borrow the book from the Christ Church Library.

                Yesterday, I met with my primary tutor for the first time. We met at the Oxford Study Abroad Programme’s Office, so I won’t be having either of my tutorials at Christ Church, the college with which I am associated. (My tutorial on Sir Winston Churchill will meet at Harris Manchester College). One plus to this is that I will be able to see the inside of more of the 38 different colleges here at Oxford University.  I am excited for my math tutorial, however there is a bit of a language barrier, so it should be interesting to see how the term progresses. My tutor is a 3^rd year student in his Ph.D. and is very agreeable in nature. I am looking forward to learning under him. I’m glad that God orchestrated it all.

                Last night, the ten of us associated with OSAP who are also associated with Christ Church went to dinner at the ‘Great Hall’, which was the template for the dining hall in the Harry Potter films.  It was a fine evening of good conversation, great food (three courses which were served to you), and proved to be an opportunity to further friendships with a number of those from OSAP.  We had chicken-n-corn soup and beef tips as the main courses, followed by a pistachio ice cream and sorbet for dessert.  The best thing about the night was that it cost only three pounds.

                Today, we have been hammered with snow. Thus, our outing to Eynsham- to Kevin’s house for our Summit Worldview Intensive has been cancelled. While I am sad and will definitely miss the time with the family at Lance House, I am thankful that I will be able to work from home on my essay for Churchill while staying warm. In lieu of the meeting in Eynsham, the girls have invited us to their flat for a snowball fight and fellowship. I estimate that I will make it down there at some point for the festivities, however, I foresee myself working a great deal today, especially now that Kevin has sent us videos to watch before our next meeting.

Cheers from snowy Oxford!

-SP

Prayer Requests:

-          Continued Diligence in my studies.

-          Right Balance of Mind Concerning Home and Here – In short, to live in the moment while not forgetting those in the States.

-          Wisdom.

-          Humble Attitude through daily living.

Orientation

January 11, 2013

                Two Weeks. After arriving in Jolly Ole Oxford on the 31^st, Ryan and I spent two nights at the Adams’ Guest House before trekking to Eynsham – a village to the west of Oxford. Kevin Bywater currently resides in the tiny town- a town in which he boasts is the ‘Original Hobbitton” (He even has a half-sized door in the city proper to prove it). We spent the remainder of the week and part of the next week (January 2- 8) “setting the table” for the Summit portion of the program while we are here in the United Kingdom. While in Eynsham, the students stayed at local British homes in order to become more familiar with the British way of life and the history of the Island Nation. It was a most enjoyable experience. Tyler Smith and I spent our evenings with James and Ruth Webster and their two young men- Adam, 5, and Jonathan, 3. They made our first week easier as we had a nice warm bedroom to return to while we recovered from jet lag.

                On Tuesday January 8^th, we moved into our flats.  My flat is about 2 miles north of Oxford City Centre.  It is an “old” house, but it’s not too old.  Altogether there are seven of us in the house we fit quite nicely. Five of us are from Summit Oxford: Zakiya(Zak), Ben, Tyler, Ryan and I- as well as two others from the United States- Sam and Scott, both of which are Christians from Minnesota and New Jersey respectively. As you can see, our accommodations are very nice and my flat is a place of peace and solace. Over the past week, well half week, we have taken part in the OSAP (Oxford Study Abroad Program) Orientation.  During this time, we have had the opportunity to meet a number (close to 50) of Americans who will be spending the term in Oxford, take a tour of a few of the colleges, be inducted into the Bodleian Library, and become officially members of our respective colleges. I was inducted into Christ Church (college) on Thursday with nine others from OSAP. The OSAP Orientation will continue until next Tuesday, at which point the tutorials will begin. I am looking forward to my first free weekend in Oxford- I plan to walk with a group of a few others from Summit to 'The Kilns' which was CS Lewis' home. It should be an exciting weekend.

Cheers!

P.s.- Hopefully by the end of the weekend we will have internet at the flat. 

Oxford: The Arrival & Week 1

December 31, 2012

            The Adventure begins! Ryan and I took off from Chicago at 5:50 CST on a loaded 767 plane headed for London Heathrow. The plane trip went really smoothly(except for the landing, which was surprisingly rough and frightful) - I was able to get a good deal of reading done as well as fall asleep for about 4 hours or so. After arriving at Heathrow, Ryan and I were able to navigate to the Oxford Airline Bus Service Station and arrived in Oxford: Gloucester Green by 10:30. We then began our mile and a half (plus) trek up Banbury Street to our temporary lodging at the Adams' Guest House.  We will be here tonight and tomorrow night before we travel to Eynsham to begin Summit Oxford Orientation. The SO orientation will last approximately six days, after which we shall return to the city of spires to become familiar with the layout while settling into our flats(apartments). The Oxford Study Abroad Programme orientation will then begin and continue for  five days. Our official time of tutelage at the University of Oxford begins on January 13th. As the date comes closer and closer, I can not wait to see what the Oxford experience has in store, not only academically, but also culturally and spiritually.

Cheers!

-Sp

~ Colossians 1:9-14

           "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."~

Week in Review 10-21-12

Week 7 Overview

Monday-

            Today was our first "free" Monday in which we didn't have a class trip or any other obligations other than small groups at night. I spent the day "sleeping in" till 10, reading, hanging out, and resting. It was a grand day because for the first time since I came I was able to relax without worrying too much about classes and responsibilities. It was good to finally get a Sabbath.

Tuesday -

            We had a breakfast of hash browns and egg mcmuffins- it was awesome. We then studied Hebrews 4 and 5 before work crews. We chopped down trees for work crews with David. The remainder of the day was spent studying and sleeping. A group went to the Hot Springs, but I stayed back to read.

Wednesday-

            Mike Mandt who is a prominent figure within the Summit community arrived from Florida and lectured us on Christianity within the sciences, and creationism(young earth vs old earth, as well as the creation evolution debate). It was a good change and it was  beautiful noise to my ears to hear him talk about mathematics and science. I really enjoyed his talks. After class in the morning, I was able to go for a 2-mile run and make it down the hill and back up in under 20 minutes-which doesn't sound great, but with the think air(and my less than acclimated lungs) it makes for a hard run.

Thursday-

            After Mr. Mandt finished his time off with us in the morning, we plowed ahead with our study of Hebrews with Dustin. We studied chapter 6- it was really interesting hearing about how Christians around the world interpret it and use it within their theological structure. (It reminded me of the split between Biblical Theology and Systematic Theology). It was a good time of thought provoking teaching as well as conviction within the Word. We finished off the night by watching the 2nd Presidential Debate between President Barack Hussein Obama and Mitt Romney. I thought this debate was much closer and, to my dismay, that Romney didn't fight enough or stand up enough for himself but rather only attacked the President. In the end, I think it was a tossup, unlike the first.

Friday-

            Today was a strange day. Having few hours of lecture this week and a plethora of study time, today was a day where we didn't have anything scheduled besides study time and work crews. I spent the morning completing(and starting) my timeline for Eric Smith's class. (The timeline starts at creation and continues to the time of the early church fathers.) It was a blast doing it with Jonathan, Ryan, Isaac, Gunnar, and Leah(also known as Lesh- long story...). I was glad that I was able to get it done in less than 3 hours. After lunch, I was assigned to lead the weeding work crew. It was a change since no other student has led a crew to date(Idk about years past...). At first, I had Josh, Gunnar, Hannah, and Abby on the crew and it went really well. I was able to still exert authority without seeming like a tyrant.  However, towards the end of the 3 hours of work crews, Jonathan, Ryan, and Leah were sent to help(since they had completed the work necessary for the cleaning crew). From that point on it was crazy and I wasn't able to keep everything cohesive. It's not to say that they didn't do a good job- they did. It just wasn't as systematic as I would have liked it to be. It was a great work crew though, we got a lot done.

Week in Review: 10-15-12

Monday, October 15, 2012

            This past week was perhaps the most stressing week to date. On top of being the most homesick that I have been since I have been here in Pagosa Springs, I got sick for the 2nd half of the week.

            Monday-

            We traveled to the Great Sand Dunes which was located in San Luis Valley, Colorado - about a two-and-a-half hour drive from Snow Wolf Lodge.  It was a rather enjoyable trip. We spent the day hiking the dunes, sand sledding, sand boarding, and playing beach speed volleyball. It reminded me a lot of home and the dunes by lake Michigan. After spending 4 or so hours at the dunes we made a stop at Wal-Mart on the way home for "junk food" and other necessities.

            Tuesday-

            We spent the morning studying before having the weekly family meeting. The family meeting is the time in the week where Dustin goes over the schedule and brings up any issues that need to be recognized and worked on. After a relativity uneventful family meeting we ate a quick lunch before hitting Work Crews. I was on the sanding detail. So, I spent the afternoon coating myself in sawdust- which while it wasn't enjoyable gave us a good sense that we were getting a lot done. We finished touching up the lower 10 feet of the siding so that it can be re-stained in the coming weeks before snow comes for good. Stephen Southerland led our crew and we quite pleased with all of our work- Brittany, Logan, Tia, Sydney, Lacey, and Myself. After work crews, we washed up had dinner. After dinner, all of the men went to the end of Blue Creek Road(about 4 miles of rocky dirt road) to the water front(Idk the name of the river) for a campfire and a joint small group time.  We talked about what it meant to be men- how to lead and be servants. Around 10 pm, the girls who are posing as men went back to the Lodge- luckily for them there were only a few of them. To some of the defense, a few of them were sick, but to the detriment of the others- there were a few who weren't sick. Regardless, after they had left we retired for the evening. Logan, Ryan, and I spent the night in 3 sleeping bags that we had connected. It was a good night, but I got a tad cold at points.

            Wednesday-

            We woke up in a freezing cold tent, rekindled the fire, shot Tony's pistol, the Judge. We spent our solitude time in the wilderness before packing camp and returning to Snow Wolf Lodge. We had Hebrews study with Dustin before lunch, exercise time, and study time. After dinner, Dr. Bauman arrived late due to another airplane delay. We watched "Leap of Faith" which is a movie about a fake traveling evangelist.  After a discussion, we were able to make it to bed by midnight. It was by far the most frustrating nights of class because I was spent from the camping trip and  run earlier and desperately needed sleep.  

            Thursday- Sunday

            We had normal days of 4.5 hours of class each day with Dr. Bauman, exercise time, study time, and three delicious Steven Calabrese meals. As a result of sleep deprivation, I woke up on Thursday with a cold. It was really frustrating in the fact that I have tried hard to eat healthy and not stay up too late at night socializing/studying. (The cold stuck around till the following Tuesday.)  The remainder of the weekend was a really awesome time. This past weekend we had Alumni weekend. During this event, 15 former Summit Semester students make the trek from various parts of the country to hang out with each other, us, and give us advice and encouragement on our current endeavor. It was a great blessing and encouragement to get to know a few of them and hear about their experience and "good times". ;) In addition, they diverted Dr. Bauman's attention in class a few times, which provided me with some time to think as the cold was affecting my focus and drive. By the time(Sunday) for them to leave rolled around, I was sad to see them leave. I was glad they were able to come and hang out with us.  Sunday afternoon I was able to Skype Dad and Mom for a sizable part of the afternoon which was uplifting and much needed. We were able to discuss the future and Summit Oxford. Sunday night we watched the Vice Presidential debate- I thought it was evenly done by both sides, although Ryan maintained his high standing in my mind.

            As a whole it was the most trying week that I have had out here. I missed home and friends back home the most, I was sick for the back half and academic part of the week(which was suuuper frustrating and humbling), and it was capped by late nights with little sleep due to the Alumni's visit. It, however, was a good week.

           

            

Week 5 & 6 Overview

            The past two weeks have been quite busy which is the reason that I wasn't able to update either week. My apologies for those of you who missed those updates.

            Our first group trip(on September 24) was the Ouray, Colorado.  It is a mountain town that is about a three and a half hour drive from Snow Wolf Lodge. We packed the vans around 7:30 and arrived in Durango around 9. We stopped for a coffee run/ breakfast, for those of us who dislike coffee. :) We arrived in Ouray just slightly after 12 and quickly downed our brown bagged lunches before walking the town. Some of you might have been so keen to pick up on the fact that the drive time from SWL(Snow Wolf Lodge) to Ouray took about 4 hours(not counting the half hour stop in Durango). This discrepancy in the time of the trip is due to the Aspen Trees in late-September.  Along the way, we drove through a myriad of beautiful now changing color trees. The bright yellow/orange lit up the mountainside during the majority of our trip. We were able to stop twice to take pictures that didn't fully capture the beauty of the creator's work. (See Facebook for Pictures). We were able to spend roughly three hours in Ouray. We toured the town, ate ice cream, and looked for gifts for those back home. I really enjoyed the scenery and the homely town. Our first trip was a success due to the fact that all of us, the students, were able to decompress from 20+ hours in class the previous week with Bauman. We were able to take our mind off of class, read for pleasure, and gaze at the beautiful landscape for the day.

            Our second group trip(on October 8) was to 'The Great Sand Dunes". When thinking about the Colorado countryside, I generally think of mountains and valleys, but never of sand dunes.  Yet, they are at the foot of a mountain range and are quite large in size. Due to the sandy aspect of the trip, I didn't take my camera- so sadly there will be no pictures of the Great Sand Dunes on Facebook. We were able to spend three hours or so hiking, sledding, sand-boarding, and playing volleyball before heading back "home". It was a great experience to spend the whole day in the car with fellow classmates- getting to know them better and discuss key ideas-, while having a fun time.  While driving back through the pass, Ryan and I(mainly due to Ryan- since he had a gps) were able to discover that we topped 10,600 feet above sea level. To us, "flat landers" from Michigan, it was really neat- for him just because he can bike up the hill and for me just because the road's construction was a feat in itself.

            The past two weeks of academics, as noted earlier, were extremely time consuming, yet fulfilling. The first week( September 25 - 29), Dr. Bauman was back in Pagosa for another week of classes that would prove to result in the discovery of, yet again, more questions that require answers. We began to dive into the questions of "what is love?", "what is a good life and what good is life?", and "what is a good death and what good is death?" While I am fairly certain on my answers to the question regarding life, I have yet to find a practical and reasonable syllogism for the questions regarding death and love. Before this week of classes, I didn't realize just how elementary my views and beliefs regarding death and love really were at their core.  I have an understanding of what it means to love and to be loved, I am just not certain on how to fully express the views I have within a coherent argument(as will be required on the final exam). On the question concerning death on the other hand, I have yet to find a strong basis for what defines a good death. I know why it can be considered good, but a further strengthening of even this view is in the cards.

            The second week( October 2 - 6), we had the opportunity to learn under and be guided in our beliefs with respect to the Scriptures by Eric Smith. I really enjoyed the week of classes with Eric in so many ways. Eric doesn't come at you as much as Dr. Bauman(which is a nice break- and that's not to say that Eric doesn't step on your toes, he certainly does). Instead he helped us comprehend the foundations of the Bible and how the covenant in the Old Testament fits with the covenant made through Jesus Christ. The greatest source of discussion and controversy within the class was the "debate" of how the Mosaic covenant and law fit into the new covenant that Jesus ushered in with his sacrificial death. Ask yourself how you view it- does Scripture(what Jesus said) make sense within your view?

            This past Thursday, we have the opportunity to watch the Presidential Debate. Being the political thought lover that I am, I had a blast taking in what each candidate said(and what they claimed the other candidate said). I really thought firsthand that Mitt Romney did an excellent job at getting the base of his campaign across on the issues of taxation, federal spending, and the deficit. However, I have to concede that current President Barack Obama did a commendable job on making the voter base(at least myself) question what Romney will do should he be elected on the issue of healthcare. While I don't agree by any stretch of the imagination with Obama's policy on healthcare, I did begin to wonder how conservative Romney's policy on healthcare really is in its nature. Is it any better than Obama's? Certainly.

            Another development that occurred in the last two weeks was my acceptance into the Summit Oxford Programme. After a short interview with Program Director Kevin Bywater, I was informed that I had been accepted. For more details on the Oxford application, acceptance, and my decision- whether or not I will attend-  please see Blog Posts entitled "Summit Oxford: ...".

            Dear Lord,

            Thank you for accepting me the way I am and not requiring me to pass a spiritual "physical test" in order to be found in your grace. Your grace still amazes me. Regardless of my heart attitude, my actions, and my desires, you still accept me and call me yours. I love you Lord. Amen.

On the Oxford Decision

            As I have been thinking throughout the week and discussed the idea of attending the Oxford program with various people, a few ideas have come up. Below contains a brief synopsis of what I agree with on the will of God concerning Oxford.

            One of our speakers that spoke to the decision in this manner. "As long as what you will be doing is morally acceptable and you are making disciples in the process(or preparing to make disciples), then it's in the will of God. " This makes perfectly good sense to me in the fact that God doesn't demand us to make the most precise decision. While he does hold his plan for our living in his hand, he allows us to choose what we will do and how we will do it. It also comes down to the fact that we need to be actively doing something, because an object that isn't moving can't be redirected. Another point that was made was that "God's will in our life is to be loved, love others, recognize our gifts and use them to be glorifying to him." I think that through the Oxford program that I will be using my gifts within the academic world to glorify him. I will also have the ability to love those around me while loving him. In this nature, I will be fulfilling God's will in my life.

            Earlier in the semester, Jeff Myers stated that "Our life goal is to create value." In this view, as long as the Oxford program is creating further value in me, then it will be within God's will. While it doesn't relate directly to the Will of God, it does speak to a blanket purpose for human beings, who have trusted their life, fortunes, and honor to Christ Jesus. Since I will be working towards fulfilling my purpose in life, I believe that it is the Will of God for me to attend the Summit Oxford Program.