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.

 

On Being Accepted to Oxford

            As many of you know, over the last year or so I have been contemplating applying to the Summit Oxford Program, preparing to apply for the Summit Oxford Program academically, and in time applying to the Summit Oxford Program. The decision to apply was made with the belief that if God wanted me to attend, I would be accepted.  While applying, various concerns rose in my mind. Some of these include: "As an 18 year-old fresh out of high school, will I be able to live away from family for four plus months across a vast ocean and survive?", "Am I ready academically for the rigorous program?", and "If I do end up going, how will it affect the rest of my schooling(from a scheduling standpoint)?"  Although I have an idea about how these questions can be answered now, I trust that God has the entire situation and experience, should it happen, in his hands.

            Last Sunday, September 30th, I had the opportunity to be part of an interview with the director of the Summit Oxford Program, Kevin Bywater. After talking, I was informed that I had been accepted to the program. Instantly, I thought "Had God spoke by allowing my admission?", or did I "put God to the test" by asking him to show me his will through a choice that was made by humans for human gain? I was torn. I knew it was something that I wanted to be do, something my parents wanted me to do, and my brother wanted me to do, but how could I be sure that it was something that God wanted me to do?

            For me, it has always been a great struggle to make the big decisions in life, often due to being overly reliant upon myself. Often enough, I will make decisions in a flippant manner that shows no regard for what God's will is and purpose may be for me in my current state.  In the current situation,  I am hesitant to pass over the process of making this huge decision about attending the program with the understanding of the apparent "approval" of God. How can I make sure that this is what I, an insignificant recent high-school graduate,  am to do with the next semester of my short life? I know God wants us to push ourselves and put ourselves out of our comfort zones in order that he may be more fully glorified, but often, in my life, I know that "projections" of what I want God to want me to do can become what God wants me to do incorrectly in my own mind. With that said, I am going to take the next week or two to petition God and those who he has put in my life at the current time to more fully understand how we, as Christians, can more fully know the will of God. Please pray for me, should you be reminded of me.

            Dear Lord, Please help and guide the conversations and discussions that I have on this issue within the next weeks to be a help on deciding whether or not I should attend Summit Oxford, You know that it is something that I want to do, but please make your will known. Do so not as a matter of answering my plea, but as a testament of who you are in character. Your will be done. Amen.

Book Review: Week Six

            As I have done previously, this post will entail a brief synopsis of the book that we are currently reading/have read in the most recent weeks.

New Dictionary of Biblical Theology-

            This book is what it sounds like it is. It is a reference for all things Bible-related. It contains articles on the overarching theme(s) within the Bible, as well as individual topics such as: Scripture, Inspiration, and Testing. It also includes an article on each of the biblical authors.

            Thus far, I have really enjoyed reading through the articles that we have been assigned. They have raised numerous questions, an example being- what is the difference between testing and temptation?- and have helped me understand more fully certain aspects of how the biblical canon was compiled.

Church History in Plain Language - Bruce Shelly -- 3rd Edition

            This book has a range from the time of the Christ to the church of today. It does a great job of not losing the details when discussing the early church. We have read through a number of chapters for Dr. Bauman's class on which we have been quizzed. We have read about the "The Age of Jesus and the Apostles" and "The Age of Catholic Christianity". What I have learned the most is that conceptions that I had about the early church, while they may be partially true, were not true in their nature.

 

We begin to read a book called "La Place de la Concorde Suisse" by John McPhee this coming week. This book is about the defense system that is employed in Switzerland. Having not read it, I cannot tell you anything about it. I am really looking forward to reading and discussing the contents of the book.