Anna Dauffenbach

Monday evening was the last official day of class for the Spring Semester.  The Honors students spent part of their evening discussing the final section of Callings. One of the writers that was discussed was Dorothy Day. She was a writer for socialist and pacifist newspapers. Later in her life she joined the Catholic Church and helped found the Catholic Worker Movement. She worked closely with the poor throughout this time. One of the sections from her writing focused on love, especially when it comes to loving others. She wrote, "What else do we all want, each of us, except to love and be loved by our families, in our work, in our relationships? God is love. Love casts out fear." She connects this especially with loving the poor. She worked closely with them for most of her life, and saw how they were living and how other people treated them. "To come back in a driving rain, to men crouched on the stairs, huddled in doorways, without overcoats because they sold them perhaps the week before when it was warm, to satisfy hunger or thirst--who knows? Those without love would say 'It serves them right, drinking up their clothes.' God help us if we got just what we deserved!"

This reading relates to having a calling because Dorothy Day knew that helping the poor was her calling. She worked her entire life with the poor and trying to get better conditions. That was her calling. Just as Jesus has called all to "Love one another," Dorothy drives home the same point. She is also asking people to love one another like Christ loves all. It is debated on whether people have just one calling, or if they have several throughout their life time. And who's to say that is has to be either or? Maybe it is not for humans to know. God works in mysterious ways, so having one calling or several is really up to him. He calls us to love one another, but beyond that, it is up to us to listen for the direction he wants us to take.

I really enjoyed this reading, particularly the section about love. The very first quote above reminded me of a quote from one of my favorite movies, Moulin Rouge. It says "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return." It was so similar that it freaked me out a bit, but both have a good message. Dorothy Day also wrote, "When you love people, you see all the good in them, all the Christ in them. God sees Christ, His Son, in us and loves us. And so we should see Christ in others, and nothing else, and love them." Although it is a great message, it is often times difficult and sometimes impossible to achieve.  We live in a sinful world, and therefore are not able to achieve perfection. In God's eyes we are perfect, we are his and he loves us. What more could someone ask for?

  This week, the Honors kids read the second of the three parts in the Post-Christian week. One writer that was read was Walter Rauschenbusch. He was a Baptist pastor and theologian who worked in a rough neighborhood of New York City known as "Hell's Kitchen." This particular writing comes from his book "Theology of Social Gospel" which looks back on the impact that modern individualism had on the world. In the first part of this reading, Rauschenbusch wrote about working and having a job, but also about the mindset of the workers. He made an excellent point when he said "It is a common and true complaint of employers that their men take no interest in their work. But why should they? What motive have they for putting love and care into their work? It is not theirs." As well as "The finest work is done only by free minds who put love into their work because it is their own." This author sparked a long and deep conversation from the Honors students about being content about where we are vs. the future callings, what it really means to be content and how the best work, having a free mind and loving the work is against low motives, desire for wages and the fear of losing them.

This discussion is very much related to find one's calling. That was brought up several times in the class discussion. Contentment was a big issue with the class; there were people on both sides. Contentment could mean being satisfied with the current ways and where one is in life, and realizing that that is just the way things are. Or it could be content with what one has before the rest of the future comes along. People are often told to be content with what they have, but what if they want/dream of more? What if they are a garbage man and they dream of being a doctor? Should they be content with their job, or strive to do what they feel called to do? 

This conversation in class was really interesting to me. It was interesting to learn about where people stand in terms of contentment and calling. However, what I liked the most were the two quotes that are written above. Even though they were written 1907, they are still very true today. One example that is often used is how 'back in the day' to get a pair of shoes, one had to find a shoemaker. And the shoemaker would spend so much time, sweat and labor making a unique pair of shoes for each of their customers. Nowadays, people head to the store to get the shoes that they and probably 100 other people are wearing. It is not a unique thing anymore. People do not take as much pride when they are mass producing the same product as they would if they worked on each one individually. It is unrealistic to think that things could go back to a time when people took true pride in everything they did and made, but realizing that this is happened and is continuing to happen could at least help other appreciate the work being done.

Wednesday afternoon, the CU Golden Bears Baseball team played the Augustana Vikings in a home game. It was a beautiful afternoon; the sun was shining, the temperature was around 70 degrees (give or take) and there was a light breeze. It was a perfect day for a baseball game. The game started out tied 0-0, but soon the Vikings took down the Golden Bears. The Golden Bears suffered two injuries; the pitcher went out after he pulled his back, and another player went out after a he hit the fast pitch and the ball hit the ground then came back up right into the player's leg. He is going to have a nasty bruise to prove it. Overall, the game was like any other baseball came. One could hear the cheers and jeers of the two teams as well as the people in the stands.

This relates to the Honors Program because athletics are a huge part of the world, and many people learn from them. This is part of the interdisciplinary part of the program. Athletics are another way in which people are learning, not only about the sport, but about themselves, their teammates, leadership, teamwork and other such things. It's another discipline of learning.

In all honestly, I was not too excited to take time out of my day to go and see a baseball game. For one, I didn't exactly know where I was going because I had not been to the field before, and two, it was time when I could have been doing something else. But I am glad that I went. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed watching baseball, and it was a bonus because I got to sit outside and enjoy the day. Baseball is one of the few sports that I understand just about completely, so I enjoyed watching the game. Even though the Bears lost the game, it was still enjoyable.

Tuesday night, Concordia University was blessed to have Dr. Dale Trapp and The Reverend Dr. Thomas Trapp speak at the Poehler Lecture Series. This lecture series has been a tradition at Concordia since 2002; it was established to recognize speakers of the Concordia Community and to thank God for the gifts of those speakers.  The brothers Trapp have given a combined total of over 60 years of service to the Concordia Community. Dr. Dale Trapp is a professor of science at Concordia, teaching physics, geology, astronomy and meteorology. The Rev. Dr. Thomas Trapp is a professor of theology at Concordia as well as the parish leader of a local Lutheran Church. The theme for their lecture was "Head to Head! Heart to Heart!" They started with an introduction of themselves and told the assembly a little about their history, with pictures for visual aids! Then they proceeded to take turns speaking about how each in his discipline works to combine Faith and Learning. 

This lecture works so well with the outlook of the Honors program. Honors works to integrate faith and learning as well, and having the Drs. Trapp talk about their different disciplines fit well. They mentioned in their lecture, that most people think of science and religion as contradicting one another or at least constantly butting heads, but the Drs. Trapp did not agree. Throughout their lecture, they gave examples on how they have seen both science and faith works in their disciplines and gave the main points of their work. The Honors Program works to do the same thing; it strives to show how disciplines that seem to butt heads can and do work together. It exposes the students to how different disciplines work together.

I thoroughly enjoyed this Poehler Lecture. I do have a bit bias because I have had the privilege of being in three classes with Dr. Tom Trapp and I have loved every minute. I have learned so much and there are many things that will stick with me forever. Having the two brothers speak together was a wonderful event, and the dynamics between them was fun to see. Being in Dr. Tom Trapp's classes, I recognized almost all of the theological things that he talked about, and Dr. Dale Trapp had an interesting concept and thought about how faith fits into the science that he teaches. Overall it was a wonderful event. After the lecture, as most of the assembly was working their way to the reception, I heard many comments about how no one wanted the Brothers Trapp to stop talking. One woman who knows the Trapp family well told me that she could just listen to those two forever, and I agree. They are both eloquent speakers and can keep people engaged. It doesn't hurt that they are preaching the Gospel too! 

This last weekend Concordia hosted the 4th International Hmong Conference.  This conference is hosted every 2 years as a way to celebrate the Hmong community. It started on Friday evening and events were hosted throughout the day and evening on Saturday. Throughout the day on Saturday there were many sessions that could be attended. There were a variety of subjects and speakers that participants could choose to go to. One of the sessions was called "To Follow the New Rule or Way: Hmong Refugee Resettlement and Practice of American Religious Pluralism." The speaker was Melissa May Borja who is a Harvard graduate with a Masters from the University of Chicago, and is currently a doctoral candidate in the Department of History at Columbia University.  He speech was an excerpt from her dissertation that she is currently working on. She spoke about the resettlement Hmong refugees as they came from Asia into America. Often times, church congregations would sponsor individuals or families of the refugees, and she explained how the religious beliefs of the sponsors rubbed off on the refugees, even though they did not understand it. 

Another aspect of this conference was an elegant dinner that took place on Saturday night at the Crown Plaza Hotel. This event was a basic closing of the entire conference. Before the dinner started, guests were able to talk with one another as well as browse the silent auction items that were available. Some of these items included books and music by Hmong authors and singers, had made bags, pictures and other things. The dinner started a little after 7:30pm and was complete with a salad, main dinner and dessert. Throughout this time, the guests were entertained with a Hmong music group based out of the cities. Their music is a combination of personally written music and rap. There were many speakers as the dinner went on. Former President Holst was highly regarding for his work with getting the Hmong Studies minor up and going. One of the high lights of this event was the main auction. Many things were up for auction including a few paintings by a famous Hmong artist, and hand-made baby-carrier,  other pictures, but the hottest item was a poster with highlights from the life of General Vang Pao who was a prominent military leader of Hmong descent who died only last year. This was by far the most exciting bidding, for a bidding war broke out between two men at the dinner, one of which was the 2007 Poker champion. It was an exciting event and was incredible to witness.

This activity relates to the Honors program because it was an opportunity to showcase another culture. Honors works to provide different perspectives in the classroom, and this was an opportunity to learn about another perspective. The Hmong people have a great history, and Concordia is the only university in the world that offers a minor in Hmong Studies (and soon to have a major concerning Hmong studies too!). Learning about other's history, customs, beliefs and culture is an excellent way to expand an open mind and kind heart.

My favorite part of the conference was the dinner. It was acutally a bit of a fluke that I was able to attend.  I was priveliged enough to be invited to join President Holst's table. The table was made up of six people connected to Concordia, two people from China (one was a professor) and a man that was currently residing in Canada, but has connections to countries all around the world. I really enjoyed being immersed in the Hmong culture. I was out of my element, but that was part of the excitement. There were times when things were said in Hmong, which obviously went right over my head, but I was very glad to be there. The dinner and company were excellent and the contents of the dinner was fun. I enjoyed listening to the singers, speakers and the people around me. I am very glad that I was offered the opportunity. 

         On Friday March 30th, the Concordia Music Department showcased a Percussion Ensemble and the Concert Band. The concert was filled with a variety of songs from Funk and Ragtime, to classical pieces. It was a fairly short concert that showcased a lot of talent. The concert started with two numbers by the Percussion Ensemble. Their first piece was Funk and the second was Ragtime. It was very upbeat and fun to listen to, as well as watch! After the percussion ensemble, the Concert Band took the stage. They played four pieces from a variety of backgrounds. The first was called "A Big Band Spectacular"  which was and arrangement of big band favorites like Racing with the Moon, Little Brown Jug and Sing, Sing, Sing to name a few. Next they played a piece called "Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral" which was meant to tell the story of a young girl walking down the aisle at her wedding. The next piece was called "Tarantella" which is an Italian piece that's author is unknown. And they closed their concert with a piece called "Prairiesong."  This piece was beautifully arranged and told the story of the American prairie. 

This concert relates to the interdisciplinary aspect of the Honors Program because it is one aspect of life and learning. Music is a huge part of life in general and many individuals lives as well. It is not limited to the playing of an instrument, music is everywhere. It can be music that people listen to, the music people make, and even in the melodies that seem to narrate life. Music is something that can bring people from all backgrounds, races, beliefs and values together to appreciate one thing. That's an incredible power. There are things like sports and theatre that bring people together, but music is unique in its ability to reach more people. The Honors Program works to bring different perspectives and thoughts into one class, and music can be a tool that works in a similar way.

I really enjoyed the concert and it made me miss playing in band. I was involved in Band since 5th grade, and stopped playing after my senior year. I played the bassoon and loved it. I just did not like the practicing. I had many "flashback" moments during the concert that brought me back to my high school experiences in band. I came from a phenomenal music program in high school, so I was taught how to really appreciate music, and I thought that the concert at CSP was wonderful. From my many years in band, I have found that I am able to pick out instruments within the band, and of course my favorite one to hear is the bassoon. So I had a lot of fun doing that as well. My favorite song was the "Prairiesong." I could picture the prairie and what was happening as the music went on. 

This week, the Honors class looked at a few readings from Callings that are placed in the section referred to "The Reformation and after." For a couple weeks, the students have been looking at different readings from this particular time period. This last week, one writer in particular caught a lot of attention from the Honors students, his name is Richard Baxter. His writings swung the students into a long debate that lasted for a good chunk of the class period. Baxter was a puritan, who rejected certain traditions and thoughts of the Church of England. Particularly, the idea that churches should have bishops. He joined forces that were against the king and worked to find cooperation and mutual respect within the different conflict groups (i.e. Episcopalians, Presbyterians and Independents.) His writings answer questions about being able to use one's work with their faith. He works to help people understand how they can use the work that they do, while they are fulfilling their calling. One section in particular, Baxter lays out 10 different answers to the question, "Why is labor thus necessary to all that are able?" As well as answering questions, Baxter also provides 12 directions in which people follow. For example, "If it be possible, choose a calling which so exercises the body as not to overwhelm you with cares and labor and deprive you of all leisure for the holy and noble employments of the mind, and which so exercises your mind as to allow you some exercise for the body also." 

All of the answers and directions that Baxter gives can be related to the life of a modern Christian. His answers provide information and details that can be helpful not only to the people at the time of its writing, but also to people now. For example, one of his comments about the direction that was mentioned above about exercise reads, "...if the body have not also its labor as well as the mind, it will ruin your health, and body and mind will grow useless." He gives simple, easy to understand explanations and directions about how a Christian can use their calling, and how they can incorporate the other parts of their lives into their calling.

For me, of the readings for this week, this one resonated the most with me (as well as many of my peers). I think this is because Baxter's writing directly involves incorporating the things of everyday life into a calling. And I liked this. I have felt a few different calls come into my life this year, and I am working on trying to meld them together so that I can have a touch of each. One of things that really hit home for me was not only his writing about melding life with a calling, but also the healthiness of mind and body within the calling. Particularly the direction that was mentioned earlier was one that I really pondered. The warning about choosing a calling that exercises body and mind, but does not overwhelm or deprive leisure time. This is something that I have struggled with and continue to struggle with, so it was encouraging to read that guidance. 

        Arcadia was the student-directed play at Concordia that ran this last weekend. It was directed by Mina Souvannasoth who is a senior here at CSP. Every year the theatre faculty and staff choose one senior to showcase in the spring, and they are chosen to direct their own show. This year, Mina was chosen after a series of one act plays that took place in December 2011. Mina's choice show, Arcadia was written by Tom Stoppard in 1993 and was based in Derbyshire, England. The plot is complicated and at some points very confusing, but overall, it is written brilliantly. Arcadia takes the audience back to 1809 in England, where they meet Thomasina, a 13 year old girl who is in the process of making mathematical discoveries under her tutor Septimus Hodge. Many things are learned through the characters in the historical (1809) set. Then the audience is thrust into modern day, where they meet Hannah and Bernard (among other characters), who are working to discover what Thomasina was trying to figure out and what happen to the rest of the people in that time. These are by no means all of the characters that the audience meets, but just a few of them. (To tell of them all would give away all the excitement of it!) It's a play that an audience member definitely needs to pay attention to, zoning out for one minute would result in great confusion, but there are so many things discovered in this show, that it is necessary.

This show relates to the Honors program in the sense of the interdisciplinary element. The Honors program strives to provide a type of learning that touches on different disciplines such as math, literature, science, theology etc. and relates them together. By doing this, the program is creating a sense of well-roundedness with the students.  In this sense, Arcadia does a similar thing. Stoppard took different concepts such as time, math, literature, and relationships among others, and smashed them all together. He intertwined them within his characters and their relationships, studies, mannerisms, hobbies and interests, and therefore touched on them all.  

Arcadia kept me on my toes even into the performance week. As I said earlier, there are many twists and turns in this show, and a lot of things that I did not understand, and to an extent still do not. Math was a big theme throughout, and I am not a big fan of math, so that was tricky to understand. The eloquent language told of the situations and characters in the show, but often times in a way that people did not realize the humor of it. At least not until after it dawns on them. That was part of the beauty of the show, watching the reactions of the cast, crew, director and audience members when the "aha" moment hit them. When they finally understood what was happening;  as I said before, brilliant writing.

This has been one of my favorite shows to work on. Mina honored me by asking me to be her stage manager, and it was one of my best decisions of my year! Not only is the play itself a brilliant work of art that took months for me to completely understand, but Mina did a fantastic job of choosing a cast that worked hard and had fun. As well as be the genius behind the workings of this show, Mina is a fantastic director, and she did phenomenal things with this cast, crew and show itself.  I have never been so close with a cast before, and I absolutely loved it. Everyone involved had such devotion and love for this show, that the 'work' did not seem like work at all! Blood, sweat, tears, souls and hearts went into this show and it showed in the performances. I am very proud to have been a part of it. I cannot even begin to describe the love and respect I have for the people involved, for their hard work, dedication, silliness, wiliness and love. They are an incredible group of people.

     This Monday in Honors was focused completely on Martin Luther. The Honors students had several readings from Martin Luther that came from different letters and sermons. One of the writings in particular was about whether or not soldiers could be saved. This letter was a response to the Anabaptist who concluded that Christians should be pacifists. One man who was a professional soldier was very troubled by this statement and was able to get an explanation from Martin Luther. Luther explained that there is a difference between the occupation and the person who holds it. He explains that a bad person does not make the occupation wrong and that it shows the misuse of the occupation. "There are some who abuse this office, and strike and kill people needlessly simply because they want to. But that is the fault of the persons, not of the office, for where is there an office or a work or anything else so good that self-willed, wicked people do not abuse it?" (Callings 219). He tells that even though cruel deeds like plundering and murdering are generally thought of as bad things, they can be okay if they are done out of love. 

He also shares examples of people in the Old Testament who fought in wars and held military professions like Abraham, Moses, Joshua, the judges, Samuel and David.

This particular reading is relevant to the Christian vocation and service to the world today because there are many people who are choosing the military as a profession. This issue of whether or not a soldier is saved is an issue that comes up fairly often. It is a difficult thing to understand. On one hand, Christians are taught from an early age that murdering is wrong, and yet fighting for the country is something that many people believe in. It seems like an issue that has no solution, but Luther sheds light on that. By explaining that if the service is being done out of love and as a means of protecting family, then there is no reason to doubt salvation. There are many people who are being called to be of service in the military, and this is letter from Luther could be a comfort, not only to them, but their families, friends and the people they serve.

I enjoyed this section of the Luther readings the most because I have often thought about that exact question. It was puzzling to me that God commanded that we shall not murder, and yet we have brave people who are serving the country. I am very proud and thankful for the service the men and women throughout the years have done to keep this country and all who dwell in it safe. In my opinion, it's one of the most honorable jobs a person can have. I enjoyed how Luther explained himself, and it helped me understand it. Both of the sections quoted earlier really solidified my understanding of what he was saying, and I appreciated it. Until this time, I had not had a true answer to my question. I knew that soldiers would be saved, but it was still a puzzling question.

        The last few weeks in Honors, the class has been looking at the medieval time period sections of the book Callings.  There have been many readings involved, and one of those readings was about Joan of Arc. When Joan was 13, she began to hear voices that told her to go to the Dauphin (the prince that was not yet crowned king) and strive to lead some French forces against England, this was the time of the Hundred Years' War. She was given the lead, and led them to victory; she was only 16 years old. She led other campaigns that were not as successful as the one at Orleans, and even ended up as a Prisoner of War. The English put her on trial for witchcraft and heresy. The reading was taken from her trials. The readings tell of the questioning that she received from the English; they were especially interested in the voices she heard. She said that they were sent by God, but that they were the voices of Saints. There were certain questions that Joan refused to answer, like about revelations and other things. In the end, Joan was found guilty and was burned to death.

This reading is relevant to Christian vocation today because Joan believed that the voices were calling her to lead the French Campaign. It was her calling to do such things. The same thing is done now. Even though it may not be voices, people in the modern world are called to do things; whether it is working in a church, being a lawyer, a stay at home parent or a store clerk. God places his people in all aspects of life to be his disciples and share his word. Joan's calling was just a bit more extreme than the average person's. 

The discussion about this reading was interesting in class, because there were very different opinions. The most discussed topic was the fact that Joan heard voices, and how we as individuals would have reacted to someone like Joan in that time period and even now. This discussion about voices turned into a discussion about signs from God, and what individuals in the class have experienced or heard about. It was a very interesting and serious conversation. I really enjoyed these discussions because it was interesting to learn about what my fellow classmates believed, and the things they have experienced. From signs they have experienced, or people that they have heard about. I thought that it was very productive and thought-provoking.