Leah Markham

                 Last week I went with my roommate to watch the men's Track and Field events at Concordia's Seafoam Stadium. Multiple events were going on at once, but we mainly watched pole-vaulting. We watched athletes from several different schools run as fast as they could, stick their long poles into the ground and fly into the air over the horizontal bar. Despite their best efforts, most of the time the athletes did not clear the bar, but instead knocked it to the ground.

                This activity does not relate directly to Honors, at least not in terms of curriculum. It does relate in that part of being in the Honors Program is being part of a family, and members of a family support one another. Attending athletic events shows support for student athletes, and is an important part of making Concordia more than just a physical location for taking classes.

                As I watched the Track and Field events, I realized how many things are going on at Concordia at any given moment. Had I not looked up the schedule and walked over to the stadium, I would never have known what was going on that day. It makes me wonder how many other events I miss out on by not intentionally seeking them out.

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend Concordia's production of the musical "Pippin." It is the story of the son of King Charlemagne, Prince Pippin, and his quest to find meaning in his life, told by an acting troupe through song and dance. After several failed attempts, Pippin winds up falling in love with a woman named Catherine (although this nearly falls through as well). Despite the seriousness of its focus, the play was actually quite funny and was overall, very well done.

The musical fit surprisingly well with this semester's focus in Honors, because Pippin was essentially searching for his calling in life and that has been the focus of the semester. Each week's class discussions center on finding one's calling from God. Throughout the semester, the questions have been raised about how to recognize a calling from God or whether a person can have more than one calling. The musical felt like an extension of those discussions.

I really enjoyed the show, and was particularly excited about seeing it because my friend was the stage manager. After hearing about all the hard work she, the director, the actors, and the stage crew put into preparing the performance, it was really fun to see the finished product.

The reading from Callings that really struck me this week was "No Man is an Island," from Thomas Merton. Merton talked about how humans have the freedom to choose their life's work and that it is okay to make the "wrong" choice. He says, "Our vocation is not a sphinx's riddle which we must solve in one guess or else perish. Some people find, in the end, that they have made many wrong guesses and that their paradoxical vocation is to go through life guessing wrong."  Merton explains that the freedom God gives us is what makes it possible for us to love him more perfectly.

In class, we compared "No Man is an Island" to the reading from Bushnell (also found in Callings). While Merton says, "in planning the course of our lives, we must remember the importance and dignity of our own freedom," Bushnell says, "God has a definite life-plan for every human person, girding him, visibly or invisibly, for some exact thing, which it will be the true significance and glory of life to have accomplished." While these seem to be opposing viewpoints, they do not necessarily have to be. It is possible that the freedom to choose one's vocation and the subsequent "wrong" guesses are all a part of God's life-plan.

One of the readings from this week for Monday night, Christianity and the Social Crisis, came from author Walter Rauschenbusch. Rauschenbusch lived in a poor area of New York City, which affected the way he thought about living a religious life. He saw the increasing gap between the rich and the poor cause a change the social equality America enjoyed. He understood that if the gap continued to grow, social equality would eventually disappear. Rauschenbusch called for Christians to be the example "of a will which sets justice above police and profit, and of an intellect emancipated from falsehood" (p. 383). Each person, he said, is called by God to a divine purpose. When religion recognizes this, a "quiet" industrial revolution will be created (p. 384).

                The main point of this reading fits nicely with Luther's theology because Luther believed strongly in serving the needs of neighbors. Rauschenbusch wanted social equality, which certainly occur in the perfect world Luther talks about in his treatise "Temporal Authority." Both felt that every person received a divine calling from God.

                This reading resonated with me because I feel it is very important to treat everyone courteously. Respect should not be about a person's income, social class, or age. I think Rauschenbusch is right that Christians should set an example. Small acts of kindness mean more than most people realize. A nice gesture at the right time will be remembered forever by the person it helps.

                Last night I attended Concordia's annual Poehler lecture. This year's speakers were brothers Dr. Dale Trapp and Dr. Thomas Trapp. The Drs. Trapp took turns reflecting on their fields of expertise. Dr. Dale Trapp explained that science seeks to answer the "who, what, where, when, and how" questions of creation; it strives to understand what already is. Faith, on the other hand, answers the "why" question of creation. Dr. Thomas Trapp shared his insights on approaching the bible from an ontological point of view, rather than a teleological one. He concluded the lecture with sage advice to teachers and students.

                The Poehler Lecture Series fits well with the Honors Program overall. The title of the program in Latin is In Litteris Fideque, which translates to "In Faith and Learning." Faith and learning is what the Poehler Lectures are all about. Just as the honors students do, each speaker looks at how faith and learning intersect and work together.

                The demonstrations Dr. Dale Trapp used to illustrate certain concepts in his lecture were extremely helpful. I was particularly interested in the scale of small to large. Without images like that, it is nearly impossible to grasp how tiny some parts of creation are and how enormous other parts are. My classes focus mainly on the cellular level, and I sometimes forget consider the bigger picture (or smaller picture, as the case may be).

The Jubilate choir sang in a Vespers service in the Graebner Memorial Chapel on Thursday evening last week. Many of the songs performed are part of Holden Evening Prayer, and were familiar to those who attend Thursday evening chapel. The rest of the pieces came from other sources. In keeping with the format of Holden, music was provided for the audience to sing along to many of the pieces.

                ". . . and Mary said, 'I am the servant of my God. I live to do your will . . .'" These lyrics from "The Annunciation" fit perfectly with Honors classes this semester. When Mary learns she is to give birth to a child name Jesus, she immediately accepts and embraces this calling. She finds not only contentment, but joy in her purpose. She praises God for all He has done for her. 

                I really enjoyed the service, especially the music from Holden Evening Prayer. That music gives me a peace I have never found in another service. I also really appreciated that most of the music was in English. In the past, when I have attended choir concerts at Concordia I have found much of the music to be in a foreign language. Although a translation is usually provided, I find it difficult to follow the music and the translation at the same time. Hearing the music in English made me feel like I got the full effect.

                On Wednesday of last week (April 18th), I had the opportunity to attend an interview with Rebecca Skloot, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Concordia's book of the year. The interview was held in Duluth, hosted by the College of St. Scholastica. During the interview, Ms. Skloot was asked to read small sections from her book and provide more details of her experience working with the Lacks family. She told stories of how the Lacks' believed Henrietta's presence was a guiding force in the creation of the book. Ms. Skloot also described the process she went through to organize all her research into the format of a novel.

                The interview connects to last semester's curriculum in Honors better than to this semester's because last semester Ms. Skloot's book was required reading. The interview connects to this semester's theme because writing this book was Ms. Skloot's calling. She felt the story of Henrietta Lacks needed to be told, and she dedicated ten years of her life to the project.

                When I read Ms. Skloot's book over the summer, I struggled to understand the point of view of the Lacks family. As a biology major, I could not imagine being afraid of doctors, scientists, or even cells. During her interview, Ms. Skloot explained why the Lacks family was so fearful of learning about HeLa cells. Henrietta's daughter Deborah grew up hearing stories of children being taken from the streets and used for terrible experiments. Doctors and scientists did not take the time to explain the significance of the HeLa cells. By the time the interview was over, and I was returning home I felt like I finally understood the both sides of the story.

One of the readings for the Monday before Easter was a sermon from John Wesley on stewardship. In his sermon, Wesley explains that Christians are stewards, rather than debtors. A debtor can do as he/she pleases with what has been lent, but a steward must do with it only as commanded. Wesley says humans are indebted to God, but they cannot do as they please with their lives. It is each person's duty to use his/her talents from God to advance his kingdom.

This reading relates to this semester's theme in Honors in that it forces one to think through the motives for his/her actions. This semester is titled "Scholarship and Service for the Sake of Others" and to use one's talents to advance God's kingdom is to benefit others. This sermon also applies to the topic of vocation. Choosing a career to bring oneself fortune is selfish. To be a good steward, it is important to thinking of others even in choosing a career.

I like this reading because it reminds me to think before I act. It is easy to use my talents from God for my own benefit, but it is far better to use them to help others. That is why I have chosen a career in veterinary medicine. I will be able to use my knowledge to help farmers maintain their livestock, and therefore their livelihood.

                 The reformation drastically changed Christianity. Only one generation after the reformation, the number of priests, monks, and nuns had dropped by two thirds (Placher, 206). In addition, most of the clergy had married. Vocation went from describing only a few Christians who received a special calling to the monastic life to describing the all Christians in the calling they received to be in a particular line of work. The Collar, a poem written by George Herbert, describes Herbert's struggle with his vocation as a pastor. Although he struggles with this calling, he ultimately accepts it.  

                This poem fit perfectly with class discussion because it is about a man's struggle with his vocation, and vocation is the focus of this semester. Up until the reformation, vocation held a very different meaning. The readings from the last few weeks have provided insight into how significantly vocation changed. This particular poem revealed very different emotions from those of the early monastics in regards to one's calling.

                I liked this particular reading for its focus. It was reassuring to learn that even people who are sure of their calling from God can struggle with it. Some of the other readings from this week provide better insight to the daily life from that time period, but I appreciate the more personal side revealed by this poem. I was also appreciative of Lauren's deconstruction of the poem in class because it helped me to understand it's meaning better.

                Before spring break, the Honors class finished the readings from the medieval period in Callings. One of those readings was made up of excerpts from the trial of Joan of Arc. The calling she followed was rather unusual in medieval times because model Christians typically lived in monasteries or convents. The questions Christians struggled with were: What kind of Christian should I be? How should religious life be ordered?  Joan lived in a time when women had very little power. Surprisingly, Joan gained considerable power by earning the trust of the Dauphin, the soon to be king of France. She led French troops in a successful battle against the English during the Hundred Years' War. She was later captured by the English and put on trial under charges of witchcraft; the transcripts in the reading come from that trial. When questioned, Joan explained she had heard divine voices telling her to go to France and lead troops in battle, even though she knew nothing about fighting a war. Certain questions, such as those about specifics of what the voices said, Joan refused to answer saying she did not have permission to share that information.

                 It was very important to Joan to be a good Christian and conduct herself properly. With the help of the voices she hear, she learned what kind of Christian God wanted her to be. Although she did not follow the same path as most people with a "religious calling" did in medieval times she was confident in her actions. She followed the calling meant specifically for her. Christians today still struggle with what kind of Christian to be. Joan's story serves as a reminder that pleasing God does not always mean living the same way as the Christians surrounding oneself.

                As I read the excerpts of transcripts from Joan's trial, I could not help but wonder how her story would have been different had she lived in modern times. When she was alive in the late Middle Ages, mysticism was strong. In Western society today, if a person were to approach a country's leader and ask to lead a battle because divine voices told her to do so, her sanity would likely be questioned. It seems unlikely she would be taken seriously. It is possible she would end up in a mental institution and be given anti-psychotic medication. Sometimes I wonder if the progress we have made in understanding the world has limited our willingness to keep an open mind. Are there people alive today who hear the same kinds of voices as Joan of Arc? Would they be taken more seriously if they lived during her time?