Abby Landes

Right on Track

By Abby Landes on May 10, 2012 11:01 AM | No Comments

Last Tuesday was Concordia's second and final home track meet of the year. Held at the Sea Foam Stadium, the event was action filled with many events going on throughout the entire day. The meet was against several schools from the areas as well as Duluth, Saint John's University, and St. Cloud State. The results of the meet are not yet available online but photos from that night can be found in the Golden Bear Twilight Photo Gallery found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/concordia/sets/72157629952987139/with/6991404796/

The final event of the evening was the men's 4X400. For anyone not familiar with track this is a relay race in which four runners compete as a team against other groups of four. Each runner runs around the track once (400m) and then passes off the baton to the next runner who repeats the same process. This event is unique from most other track events in that it depends on the four runners to work together as a team, rather than depending on oneself. It also means sometimes disappointing other teammates as one mistake could easily lose the race, but it also means sometimes being able to make up for lost time/catch up and win the race. Similar to one's life, when a person does things alone, he or she has less pressure to please others and less disappointment is caused from an individuals failure,so in that sense, depending on oneself is nice. But it also means being unable to receive help from others or to return the favor. Teamwork means more chances of failure, but it also gives the opportunity to help and work together for the benefit of more than just oneself.

I ran in track from 7-8th grade and I really enjoyed it so being at the meet on Tuesday brought back some good memories. One thing that I didn't enjoy though, and is unique about track is how many hours of training and effort is put into competing in an event that lasts only a few seconds. It's always baffled me how someone would want to put that many hours of their life into something that is so temporary but it is also remarkable because it depends so much on the circumstances. It's amazing how much dependence is on those few seconds and how much weight it can have on the meet as a whole. It's just like anything, though- one small moment, or sentence, or decision that seems so futile and temporary can have a lasting impact that one would never anticipate.

Horse Powered Learning

By Abby Landes on May 10, 2012 10:29 AM | No Comments

The final convocation of the year was quite different from the other convocations at Concordia this year. This convocation, "Horse Powered Learning" was outside (as opposed to the BEC or Beutow), involved horses and toys, and used an interactive learning method of presentation.

The convocation began with an explanation of horse powered learning from Michelle Pickel, the owner of the horses and Professor at Concordia. The students and staff learned about Horse Powered Learning by experiencing it themselves. There were two groups (students and staff) who each were responsible for leading their designated horse around a loop of stations where they were to pass off the horse to a team member waiting at each station. The student or staff member with the horse was also carrying many different toys and items that represented different things like sleep, spiritual life, social life, spouse, among others; and had to walk from one station to the next. Upon arrival at the next station, the student or staff member was to pass along all of the items as well as the horse to their teammate who was waiting at the station. The convocation ended with a discussion of how this experience was applicable to each team member's life and how it was represented in their own struggles balancing school, work, family, and friends.

This convocation was also unique because it was involved interaction and was left up for discussion at the end as the audience and team members had learned from experience how difficult it was to balance everything (literally and figuratively), rather than the speaker explicitly describing what she was trying to teach. This event aimed to represent the different priorities that everyone is trying to juggle and balance through the stress of everyday life. At first it seemed like a competition, as the groups had been divided between teachers and students. But when the event was over, Dr. Pickel pointed out that she hadn't actually said that it was a race, but that both teams had assumed that it was supposed to be a competition, when really the goal was just to explain how both teams had many priorities to juggle, and that it is a struggle for both to get through. This is representative of everyone's life in someway as each person has to learn to balance the obvious things such as sleep and nourishment, as well as the family and social life, and most importantly their spiritual life.

This event challenged me to think about how struggling with just one thing can affect everything else in my life. Lack of sleep causes me to be agitated, sensitive, and lazy. Struggling with relationships with my friends or family causes stress that I cannot separate from the rest of my life which can negatively affect my schoolwork and job. This event was representative of how all of one's goals, priorities, and struggles follow him/ or her around wherever you go and how it's a lot to carry. It was also depicted how if you pay more attention to one priority than the rest, you become careless about the other priorities and they become more likely to fall (cause problems) and so it really emphasized the need for balance in life. Of course everyone has to balance priorities, but I applied this to my personal life because I absolutely and completely struggle with balance and managing priorities. I know especially that if I am struggling with my relationship with God, I have problems with my relationships with EVERYONE else too. It's crazy how directly related they are but it was helpful to see that portrayed in a literal sense and to reflect on it all at the end of the convocation in a group discussion.

Callings

By Abby Landes on May 6, 2012 6:33 PM | No Comments

Using examples from scripture, the section began with a discussion of different interpretations of vocation and how God intended it to be. Sayers said that many base their vocational model off of Genesis 3:17 which is about the curse of Adam, and how people should instead view this section as the "great paradox of redemption" as God shows that pains and sorrows can become instruments of salvation if accepted by love. The following section illustrates her opposition to communism because of the way work is viewed as only a method of producing the means of livelihood. She goes on to say that economics will never change if it continues to be seen as the only reason to work and that the correct relationship between work and workers needs to be considered. The next section is about artists who Sayers defines as a group of workers who have not lost or abandoned what work ought to be because they do not work to live, but instead makes money by worker in order to continue working. In the artist's case there is no difference between work and living. The last section regards the subject of idleness and women's place (or lack thereof) in the work world.

Even though Sayers wrote this text in the mid-1900s, it is amazing how amazingly applicable it is to today's society. Nearly everything she mentioned as a problem in the world then, is still something of an issue or even more of a problem today. One issue that has become even more evident over the past 50 years is the [first]world's obsession with making life easier and saving time. Sayers explains how the products that sell best are those that aim to make life easier and to remove "work" in order to save time. Next in line are the products that fill the saved time with mindless leisure activities to avoid the trouble of thinking- all in a vicious cycle, trying to get away from the "trouble" of thinking. Directly related to vocations, Sayers talked about how some people interpret Genesis 3:17 to mean that work is a curse and only the result of the fall, but she explains that even before the fall, God created Adam to work the land and that the fall only brought economics into the picture (in the sweat of they face shalt thou eat bread.) Besides Adam, God himself worked and he worked because he enjoyed it and he was happy with what he had made.

I really enjoyed this section! Sayers' writing is engaging, fresh, and applicable to the world today, even though it was written 70 years ago. I especially liked her description of how products are made and sold to save time and then more products are made and sold to fill that saved time with mindless leisure and entertainment to avoid the trouble of thinking,. People get bored and begin to question the meaning of life rather than fill their time with energy, motivation, and creativity. If Dorothy thought this was a problem 70 years ago, I would hate(LOVE) to hear what she'd have to say about the world today! One last thing: God was an artist- the first artist! He worked hard to create the entire universe, but at the same time he completely enjoyed it. He didn't make everything for the purpose of efficiency nor did he make anything to be exactly the same... Which is pretty cool.

Pippin Goes Steampunk

By Abby Landes on May 1, 2012 7:52 AM | 1 Comment

This past weekend, the musical Pippin was put on by Concordia's Department of Theater and Dance. The musical began as the "leading player" (a narrator of sorts) spoke directly to the audience with an invitation to join her and her troupe in a story about a boy who is on a quest to find meaning and fulfillment in his life. The production is a musical about a musical and is the story of how Pippin, the son of King Charlemagne, is trying to find his place in the world. Pippin wants to live an extraordinary life but is unsure how to fulfill that dream and so he decides to begin his search back at home with his father and step-mother, and his brother Lewis. His father and brother are about to go to war and Pippin asks to join but quickly finds that war is not for him. After this encounter Pippin experiences many other things: sexual encounters, the life of a revolutionary, art, religion, but can't seem to "find his corner." Finally he is overwhelmed and about to give up when a woman named Catherine, a widow, finds him and takes him into her home to live with her and her son. As Pippin recovers he experiences working and forming a relationship with these two people until finally a year later he realizes how long he's been wasting time at Catherine's house instead of finding his purpose in life and so he leaves. Pippin returns to the leading player and the other actors and they try to convince him to complete the "best finale" the world has seen and by trying to convince him it is the fulfilling life he was searching for. Pippin slowly begins to realize that the place where he was happiest was not searching for an extraordinary life and that the life of meaning and fulfillment was with Catherine and her son. At this point Pippin, Catherine and her son, to the horror of the leading player and others, stop going by the script, and ruin the "perfect finale" the other actors are used to. Pippin finally realizes that what he was looking for was a simple, normal life and that he doesn't need anything extraordinary to be truly happy.

Surprisingly, the play was directly related to what we have been focusing on in honors this semester. Pippin is completely unsure of what he should do with his life. He knows that he wants it to be fulfilling and meaningful, and that he wants to do extraordinary things, but he doesn't know how to get there. Many people have this similar desire, and like Pippin also do not know which direction they are supposed to go in life. For Pippin, it took a few mistakes and wrong decisions for him to come to the realization that a simple, ordinary life was all he wanted and what made him happiest. His mistakes were okay! (Thomas Merton would agree.) Similar to this year's theme in honors of Christian vocation, Pippin addresses the questions, doubt, and despair that many people experience when trying to understand where God is calling them. The musical addresses that each person has his or her own purpose and that there are basically two choices- to follow the "script" of the world and the pressure of others in exchange for fleeting, superficial pleasure, or to do what brings happiness and fulfillment, and accepting that life is not flashy and exciting all of the time.

I'm going to be really cheesy right away and say that I think most people are like Pippin or at least can relate to him in some way. He's a fictional character, sure, but he represents millions of people who have dreams and goals but don't know how to fulfill them and don't know what they really want. From my own [short] life experience so far I have come to terms with the fact that many of the things I thought I wanted are not actually what I want at all, and have only come to realize that through trial and error because that's how God works sometimes. I can accept that I have made mistakes and I know I will continue to make mistakes that will not always benefit me. But other times, mistakes can bring enlightenment and guidance to steer in the next direction. Pippin was a boy who let the many voices of the people around him overwhelm and steer him away from true contentment, but when he finally listened to the right voice, he was led to the happiness he'd been trying to find. In my life, the "right voice" is Christ's- leading and guiding me toward contentment and my purpose in life and service.

Necessitating Jesus Christ

By Abby Landes on April 29, 2012 9:50 PM | No Comments

On April 24, 2012 the Dr.'s Dale and Thomas Trapp led the 11th annual Poehler lecture at Concordia University. The Beautow Auditorium was filled with students, professors, and various others as Professor Lonn Maly and Dr. David Lumpp introduced the Trapp brothers as the speakers for the evening. The purpose of the Poehler lecture is inspired by Concordia's mission of connecting faith and learning. Dr. Dale Trapp began by describing their birth and baptism, their childhood growing up in Detroit, and their later years going to college, getting married, and having families of their own. Both brothers spoke of three births one experiences as a Christian: Literal birth, baptism, and death (eternal life.) They then went back and forth speaking at the podium about the way they have incorporated faith and learning with their teaching and how their academic disciplines (science and theology) are not at opposite ends of the spectrum. Both of the Trapp's find great value in the connection between the academic pursuit and the spiritual pursuit.

The Poehler lecture is directly related to the faith and learning focus of the Honors program in that it is about how everything (be it science, math art, etc) is connected to the two (faith and learning.) Dr. Tom Trapp talked about "necessitating Jesus Christ" in his teaching because Christ's resurrection changed everything so that the "universe is wrapped up in the creator's love", so, what can be more important than that to people who were made to live eternally? Dr. Dale Trapp talked about how the wisdom and power shown in God's creation is to be glorified forever and he explained the importance of this in his own teaching. Dr. Tom Trapp also briefly spoke on the topic of vocation in saying that Christians can ask God for help in looking for ways to love and respond as there are plenty of ways to live this out in the Christian life, in every occupation.

Tom and Dale Trapp easily and successfully incorporate their faith with their teaching- in both theology and science. Tom Trapp talked about "necessitating Jesus Christ" in everything he says, does, and teaches and how at Concordia, professors have the opportunity to do this no matter what subject they are teaching. Before Concordia I had not experienced many people with that mentality (and of course a huge reason is because I grew up going to a public school) but it has definitely been an important and unique part of the education I have received so far at this school. It is an experience I wouldn't have received if I had attended another school and is exactly the focus of the honors program as well. In everything I have learned from the honors program, faith and learning have somehow been incorporated- whether it is science, church history, math, art, or theology. It is apparent that the honors program, many of the professors, and Concordia has this "necessitating Jesus in everything" mentality as well and learning this way influences, shapes, and transforms many students.

2012 Christus Concert

By Abby Landes on April 18, 2012 8:28 AM | No Comments

On Friday, April 13th at 7:30 pm, Christus Choir sang in a home concert for family, friends, and other members of the community in the Graebner Memorial Chapel. The concert was performed in three different sections, with a short pause between each. The chapel was filled with people- even the balcony was full! The choir walked in singing at the beginning of each section, sometimes with drums and claves, other times with just the piano. Student accompanists enriched the concert throughout the night in many of the songs with trumpets, a french horn, piano, keyboard, hand bells, and even an upright bass. The music performed varied in style and language as well. The languages sung were Russian, Nigerian, German, and English, in gospel, classical, and sacred styles of music, just to name a few. What seemed to be the end of the concert was the song "E'en So, Lord Jesus," which is the song Concordia's choirs traditionally sing at the close of their performances. Concordia alumni were called up to sing with Christus and the entire group held hands throughout the length of the song. As the last words of the song "For Christ shall be their all," echoed through the chapel, there seemed to be a delighted sigh at this beautiful end to the concert. But Dr. Dave was really not wanting the concert to be over and so at the very last minute he walked up to the microphone and said, "I really wasn't planning on this, but we're going to do one more song. As was made famous by Louis Armstrong..." He played the first few notes of "What a Wonderful World" on the piano, the choir sang it beautifully, and at last came the conclusion of Christus' Home Concert.

For some people, sacred choral music is a very meaningful part of worship; whether one is singing, playing or listening to it. Many of the people who attend the concerts at Concordia do so to support a member of the choir (or band, group, etc) but also hopefully because they enjoy the music being performed. For both the performers and audience members at these concerts, there is an opportunity for the music being sung to be a very powerful and memorable experience whether one feels a connection the the lyrics, rhythm, or melody. This semester in honors has focused a lot on the topic of vocation and choir is an opportunity for many of the students to use their talents to sing God's word in churches, schools, and many other places for all people to hear.

I have been able to sing as a member of Christus this year and some of the experiences have been very enjoyable. My favorite part is being able to watch the faces of the people in the audience as we sing and it is so rewarding to see the faces of people of all ages light up throughout the service at the songs that impact them. To be completely honest, sometimes choir gets to be to an incredibly frustrating and overwhelming part of my life. But then there are services where we're all working together and I can look out into the audience and see at least one person smiling and clearly enjoying the music, and those services make the frustrating, time consuming part so much more worth it.

Infinite Upon Infinite

By Abby Landes on April 17, 2012 8:10 AM | 1 Comment

For the Reformation section of Callings, one of the authors was Jonathan Edwards(1703-1758), a Massachusetts pastor. He begins the chapter with a brief description of his childhood. He describes his first transformation experience, and his delight in religion throughout these years. Over time, though, this delight disappeared and he returned to his previous ways of life, to the "ways of sin." After some time he experienced another transformation, and spent some time outside, marveling at the beauty of God's creation surrounding him. He then explains his convictions for the wickedness of his heart, which he didn't begin to experience until after his conversion. He viewed his sins as "infinite upon infinite" and talks more of his wickedness, explaining that "were it not for free grace . . . I should appear sunk down in my sins below hell itself. . ." Even this insight, he does not think is he enough and knows his sin to be more than he can even recognize. Edwards talks about his dependence on God's grace and strength, and how he detests the way he is filled with a self-righteous spirit but how he had also experienced the fullness of the constant and absolute sovereignty of God.

Edwards feels strongly that more than one transformation experience occurs, rather than just one. Although most may not relate to Edwards in the level of intensity of his transformations ("he brought me nigh to the grave, and shook me over the pit of hell,") a natural part of a Christian life is the roller coaster of transformation over time. Some people experience a sort of "awakening" similar to Edwards, that brings about a new disposition and sense of things. But also for many, this new disposition gets worn away over time. Some people feel a great connection to the outdoors, as Edwards did. To some, the greatness of the land, sea, clouds, sky, etc.- is an outward/ physical representation of God's excellence, wisdom, and beauty.Of course, not everyone feels this way for one reason or another, but it's something that many can relate to.

Edward's talk of the appearance of everything being altered makes me think of times throughout my life where I have definitely looked at aspects of the world around me and thought much more positively about it than I do in other situations. While it would be nice to look at everything in this way, from my doubtful perspective it seems pretty unattainable for an infinite point of view. But it makes me think of many of the people at PSP and how they seem to posses this amazing outlook on life, despite their unfortunate circumstances. To me, this chapter is also a reminder that no matter how wicked and sinful I am or others are to me, God's free grace takes it all away, and allows for infinite transformation.

What's the Prize?

By Abby Landes on March 5, 2012 9:49 PM | No Comments

The Treasure of the City of Ladies by Christine de Pisan was about the many ways that wealth can sabotage and corrupt the life of a woman, or any person for that matter. The section begins with a sort of dialogue between the "sweetly singing" voice of temptation and the forceful and (rightly) convicting voice of God, who is, as usual, keeping it real. With much talk of the duty of a princess, Christine answers how temptations can come to a high-born princess, how the princess can resist temptations, which is better of the two holy lives (Active or Contemplative,) how a princess can lead the life she chooses, how a princess will cultivate virtues, and how servant-women,chambermaids, and wives of artisans ought to conduct themselves.

In a world where, for many, wealth is a main priority, it is always helpful and humbling to be reminded of the destruction and turmoil it can cause in one's life. Christine uses the "Sweetly singing" voice of temptation to describe the way in which evil can persuade one to believe that he or she somehow "deserves" to be treated a certain way, based merely off of his or her wealth or status- with only one's own pleasure or satisfaction in mind. But then God comes into the picture, reminding that even with all the wealth and riches of the earth, people are all the same- one pile of earth covered by finery is the same as a pile of earth under a poor rag- just with a different surface. And so it is better to live a humble life as a poor woman, than to be blinded by one's own pride- abusing everything that will ultimately lead to ruin. Later on, Christine illustrates how God does not consider wealth, on its own to be completely bad, but instead that it is bad for those who do not know how to use it wisely for the good of others. The past Callings readings have been about one extreme or the other- contemplative or active lifestyles. Christine attempts to explain her own decision to live in a happy medium between the two. Some monastics or other people from the time may have perceived this decision as lazy or noncommittal to God, but Christine voices many humble, human concerns, and is realistic in saying that it is nearly impossible to be able to commit to abandoning every worldly thing- even with the best intentions of a strong love and desire for God.

The lies temptation sings about are quite prevalent in my life. I need to be constantly reminded that I do not "deserve" anything. I cannot be fully satisfied by anything but the love of God, and therefore I cannot fully deserve anything because without God's love and Christ's suffering it wouldn't even exist to be desired in the first place. "Pride," a huge focus of the chapter, is definitely also a huge part of my motives behind doing/ not doing many things. The concept of time being a "gift" is very convicting because I completely and absolutely waste SO much of it. Christine also talks about the roles of women of lower-class and of the duty of a wife. This part makes me think of my own role as the wife I will one day be and its importance, even though she describes it as a very overwhelming, but important job, as well as how this much effort and dedication should be put into my own relationship with Christ. One last significant notion a took from this section was that of the duty of one in the role of a servant woman or chamber maid and how even at this "lower" place in life, it is still important to be genuine because it is still a necessary role. It is despicable to pretend to be pious and to give false flattery with the only intention of increasing rank and having more control. It's far too easy to try to "suck up" to those of higher authority just to gain one thing or another. At first read, The The Treasure of the City of Ladies comes across as a chapter about doom and gloom, rules, and more rules, but Christine is basically just keeping things realistic and putting everything into perspective, which is very much needed from time to time (or more!)

Look For "Nothing"

By Abby Landes on February 21, 2012 8:24 PM | No Comments

Last Wednesday, the honors class was invited to enjoy dinner with Jobe Cerny, better known as the famous voice of the Pillsbury doughboy. Cerny led a discussion on the topic of vocation, which has been one of the main topics the class has focused on this semester. He began by talking about his life and education while offering many pieces of advice about how to accomplish one's dreams. He then transitioned into asking if anyone had a personal dream he/she wanted to share, as well as the obstacles the individual felt was in the way of accomplishing it. His advice varied slightly for each person, but Cerny mainly focused on the concepts of not setting limits, and setting aside time each day to work towards a specific goal. He also talked about the importance of continuing to "live life to the fullest" and look for new possibilities in every moment, to continuously set new goals that are higher and believe that they are achievable.

Cerny focused quite a bit on the importance of hard work when it comes to achieving one's goals. He gave some very specific examples that might work only for himself personally, but also mentioned the very generic pieces of advice that are heard over and over from an early age. Some may complain that those generic words of wisdom are worn out or redundant, but one can hardly argue with their validity. Cerny , who took four years of Latin in college, strongly encouraged students to take classes that will help develop a set of tools to bring them closer to achieving goals and to doing what they want in life. Cerny is a part of the entertainment business, and also a Christian. To some this is an unlikely combination but to Cerny it was a natural outcome. He feels that he is doing exactly what he should be doing with his life and was very encouraging and optimistic about anyone else being able to accomplish as much as he has.

The dinner was enjoyable and Cerny had a lot to say that I appreciated. He's obviously lived an interesting life and it was inspiring to hear the many stories he had to tell. The fact that he wakes up at three every morning to write blew me away! I don't think I'll be changing my habits enough to wake up THAT early, but nonetheless it was encouraging to spend more time improving my own "set of tools" to be able to accomplish my aspirations and goals.

Jobe Cerny Convocation

By Abby Landes on February 17, 2012 9:32 PM | No Comments

On February 15^th, JoBe Cerny, writer, actor, producer, director of the first audio bible to win Christian book of the year, AND the voice of the Pillsbury doughboy was welcomed to the stage of the Beautow Auditorium for a convocation about his most recent production: The Word of Promise New Testament Complete Audio Bible (the latest King James translation.) The convocation began with a brief introduction by Jim Seeman of Cerny's accomplishments thus far followed by the doughboy himself greeting the crowd with his signature giggle... "Hoo hoo!" Next, Cerny had the audience listen to several minutes of the audio bible to get a sample of what this unique project was like and how it was different from what one might expect an audio bible to sound like. Instead of being a simple reading of the bible, Cerny used sound effects and an original music score (150 person orchestra!)with the voices of 600 actors reading from a "1^st person" point of view combined for a total of 90 hours of recorded work and 75,000 takes. One of his goals for this project was to reach an audience who would hear the Bible for the first time. A graduate of Valparaiso University as well as Northwestern (not the one in MN! ;)) Cerny mentioned his experience in college of taking four years of Latin and how it helped a lot with directing the actors as well as translating from the "ancient languages" to English. This project has been successful in many ways and is a very unique approach to an audio bible.

The Word of Promise Audio Bible is unique approach because it combines entertainment and audio drama techniques with the spoken words of the Christian Bible. The combination of these elements has the possibility of attracting a very wide audience of people from those who are illiterate, or non-Christian, to those who are just too busy or uninterested in sitting down and reading the actual bible, or anyone interested in the dramatic arts. The project is an example of the many possibilities of integrating faith and learning. The audio bible opens up the many possibilities of integrating faith and learning by using it as a tool to expose such a broad audience of people to Christianity. Cerny talked about his initial reaction to being asked to direct the audio bible. He said that it wasn't really even a question in his mind and that he just knew that he needed to do it. Cerny's willingness to accept the project is admirable. It's not always easy to make decisions, especially those that involve sacrificing your time and especially when it comes to choosing or following a vocation or calling.

While I didn't care to hear about all of the actors Cerny has worked with in his lifetime, it was interesting to hear about the audio bible and the huge amount of time spent crafting it. It truly is a tool that can be used to spread the word of God to many people and even though he made some money and met a lot of very successful people along the way, he also had the knowledge and desire to do it for more than the obvious superficial reasons. It made me think about my own life and how I have a very hard time just listening to what God is telling me to do or at least trusting that he does have a plan for me and something that he is "calling" me to do, and I just don't know what it is yet. I do know that he calls people to do many different kinds of things, big and small, and as a Christian, I don't have to be working in a church to spread the God's Word.

Abby Landes

Right on Track

Horse Powered Learning

Callings

Pippin Goes Steampunk

Necessitating Jesus Christ

2012 Christus Concert

Infinite Upon Infinite

What's the Prize?

Look For "Nothing"

Jobe Cerny Convocation

Honors Links

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