Katie Nemeth

Festival of Beginnings

2012-09-05T18:16:28Z

"An ever present help in trouble."-Psalms 46:1

Along with the Processional song "A Mighty Fortress"," Concordia University welcomed new faculty and staff to campus on August 30, 2012. Professors glided in in their traditional robes that are only brought out for special occasions such as these and all student leaders followed in behind to be seated in the front rows. After the first song a reading was done by two students and the University's new chaplain. The school's theme was confidence in the Lord for the upcoming year but to also remind all the members of the University that as humans, all are in great need of the Lord. President Ries reinforced the message deciphered the roots of the words refuge and strength. He translated them from Latin (meaning hope), Spanish (meaning help), Hebrew (meaning to flee), and Greek (meaning safe harbor). The president then spoke about the book of the year , Picking Cotton (which the honors students have to read during Christmas Break so stay tuned for a deciphering of that). The president tried to engage the students and perk their interest so that they might want to read the book, but went too far and gave away the ending and most of the juicy details.

This ceremony is done to recognize the new school year of 2012-2013 and welcome all the new members of the Concordia Family. Few people outside the Concordia family fully realize what a special opportunity it is. From the outside, the school seems like every other religious private university with high tuition and small campus. When involved in the daily activities a student or teacher gets the opportunity to experience the joy of being surrounded by fellow believers in Christ, experience several different cultures, and create relationships with an outstanding number of people. Concordia is also a gateway to the ultimate refuge that is needed in this world. The honors program at Concordia has also been in the position of being over looked or misjudged by people that are not members. People see the honors and get scared off by the stories of complex projects and long night classes, but what people are failing to realize is that the honors class is just a smaller version of the overall experience of Concordia. The honors program takes the diversity of campus and combines it to an even smaller family. This family helps students build their strength and trust in the ultimate refuge, the Lord. This program may be difficult but through the various challenges given, the honors program creates individuals who are self-reliant and aware of their dependence for a family and an all loving Father.

As a returning student, I came to campus this year with more confidence and less nerves. Knowing the small campus like the back of my hand and being able to recognize faculty and other students is almost enough to make me believe that my mindset and determination will be the only strength I need to get through the year. The opening ceremony was an unexpected jolt back to reality. I realized that I was making a big mistake, one that I had made as freshmen. In this time of comfort I was leaning away from the strength of the Lord and telling Him that I could handle myself, but at the first sign of trouble I would race back to his side. I instead needed to realize that my growth in the Lord had to be a consistent relationship with Him, with no racing back and forth. Only in this way could I have the unlimited future that the Lord has planned for me. In the short term hopefully that means a good year at Concordia!

Interesting, Factual, True ??

2012-08-08T18:56:12Z

NOOOOOOOOOO! That is the sound of the summer slowly slipping away and college students having to come to terms with it. One for the first assignments of the year for the fall 2012 honors class is a blog on the book Unchristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity by David Kinnaman. Kinnaman is a researcher that has written a book that helps the general public understand the statistics behind what people think it means to be a Christian. The book goes through various chapters describing the many misconceptions that are generated in the mind of nonbelievers about Christians. The author has discovered that Christians are associated with stereotypes such as hypocritical, anti-homosexual, sheltered, too political, judgmental , and only focusing on people's salvation. These opinions were taken from various polls, studies, and private interviews of nonbelievers and believers of multiple age groups. Kinnamn pairs the statistics with real life experiences and bible references. The writer makes sure to push the point that the stereotypes that are being associated with Christianity are not the definition of Christianity, but the warped perception that is being exemplified by the people of the world today that are calling themselves Christians. Margaret Feinberg explains how a Christian should present themselves to the world, themselves, and to the Lord,

"So the truth is that I'm fighting. I am fighting sin with everything that I've got. Some days I fare better than others....I am sorry. I'm sorry that I let you down and disappointed you. But the truth is that I am not giving up or letting go. I've encountered a God who promises that the battle ends in victory--life instead of death. So call me crazy but I am holding on to that promise..."

Each chapter gives examples, statistics, and person evaluations of each stereotypical sin that Christians have failed to purge from their lives and have thus tainted the Christian name. Christians are not able to avoid temptation or even stop sinning. The author brings up the point that without Christ active in everyday life, a Christian will never be able to reverse the perceptions that the world has. A Christian has been chosen by God, and through that a desire to do God's work is created. "Scripture is clear that there is a basic starting point to the Christian faith: admitting that we need Jesus (p 77)." With this desire, action needs to be generated so that Jesus is promoted and not an individual's judgments, political, or personal opinions. Since Christians are called to be "little Christs" and even the arms and legs of the Lord the author suggests several steps to reverse each stereotype.

There are two types of actions that the author talks about: individual and community. In order for change to occur individuals have to make an effort every day to down play their feelings and emotions and let God's love pour out of them. "I don't have it all together and that admission is precisely what tweaks the perception of hypocrisy," Jud Wilhite (pastor at Central Christian Church in Las Vegas), " By admitting this fact a person is making room for the Lord and striking down one of the stereotypes labeling Christians. A lot of the problems that Christians are facing are generated by their unwillingness to listen. Not only are Christians not listening to the Lord but they are not listening to the people that the Lord wants them to reach. A simple solution is to just stop talking and judging and just listen. The more a person listens the more productive they can be in acting out God's purpose.

The second type of action happens as a community. A community needs to be a place of fellowship and reconciliation. A Christian should not judge the Christian next to them but instead take the plank out of their own eye so that they may see the splinter in someone else's. By building their relationship with the Lord and surrounding themselves with people who are trying to do the same a community is born that can then be the arms and legs of Christ not just a loud mouth.

Although this book is a collection of data and results it has spotlighted the very essence of what a Christian is supposed to be and how Christians today are not answering that call. Although this book is very judgmental in its own way, it is an example of how Christians are not being the image of Christ. A reader may not be able to agree with everything that is written, but may connect with a few problems in their life that are contributing to the overall misconception of what Christian wants to portray. There are books, and people in this world that are placed in the path of others to help them understand what God wants of them. This book is a tool that could be used by Christians to right themselves, but only after they have aligned themselves with God can a Christian help others. Why would a Christian take the time to analyze their life and grow in the Lord? Because Christians are called by God and ..." were made to be lovers, bold in broken places, pouring themselves out again and again until we are called home."

Unanswered questions

2012-04-30T04:38:06Z

Head to Head! Heart to Heart!, the 11th annual Poehler Faith and learning lecture, is one of the last Honors required convocations for the spring of 2012. The two distinguished speakers are Dr. Dale Trapp and Rev. Dr. Thomas Trapp. The two brothers start off the convocation by providing humorous dialogue through their family history. After covering their past they explain their three different births, two that they have experienced (birth into this world and birth into the kingdom of God). From there the convocation moves to their academic and spiritual pursuits which they tackle as two heads and two hearts. Their passion is being able to relate the academic studies that they teach at Concordia University and relating it to why people walk this earth and the eternal life they will walk after this life. Dr. Dale Trapp spoke first on the two covenants, creation, crucifixion, and eternal life. Rev. Dr. Thomas Trapp speaks next on his faith and learning/teaching. He expands on each subject by relating them to his life and how he has experienced them individually and together. The brothers switch off, each speaking on their specialized studies, experiences, interests and how they relate them to their faith.
Rev. Dr. Thomas Trapp spoke for some time on the difference of justification and sanctification. He uses words such as active and passive to relate mankind and how it is affected by the presence of an active God. All humans are dead and passive until they are sanctified by God. Dr. Dale Trapp compared the mysteries of science to the miracles of faith. He states that the point is not the explanation but the process of learning and working towards answers. Neither science, faith, nor the combination of the two can explain life. Both of these professors specialize in different academic arenas and started their presentation at opposite ends of the academic spectrum. These two brothers embody the very teaching method that the honors program tries to encourage in Concordia's students: to integrate our various academic studies with one another and with our calling to walk with God. The lessons of the material world are learned to answer the questions of how, what, when, and how much? Faith answers question of: why? To separate the things of the world from God is to live life with unanswered questions.
In honors class I am encouraged to take each individual subject and connect not just with the information but the concepts. By learning a concept and its origins I can then weave the different areas of my life into one lesson. Listening to the Trapp brothers I was able to get an example of how a committed life to academics, dedication to a family, and faith can be intertwined to form a balanced and happy life. As a college student and believer young in her faith, I strive to understand what God is, what He wants, and what am I supposed to do. What this convocation made me think about was how I need to learn that there are mysteries and miracles in the world that do not need to be explained. I need to apply the integrated learning system given to me through honors and use it not only to understand concepts but use it to know when to try and understand concepts.

"Give me the courage to live, give me the courage to be free"

2012-04-25T19:37:02Z

Howard Thurman wrote the excerpt "What Shall I do with My Life," in Callings. This is one of the assigned readings for the honors students as part of the curriculum for the spring semester of 2012. To put this reading in perspective, the reader should review Mathew 4:1-11, which is a sermon on the temptation of Jesus by Satan. In this sermon Satan tempts Jesus in three different ways: hunger, illusions of life, and Jesus' calling in this world. Thurman takes each temptation and breaks them down to questions, thoughts, and events of present day Christians.   For the first temptation, the author separates the event and the question of what is really being tested besides Jesus' hunger.   The author asks if the importance of bread is the real question. For the second temptation the author connects the literal response that Jesus gives Satan and how some college students look at everyday life. A bad test grade or a flunked class is the result of not studying or being prepared. This is an illustration of "the terrible truth that does not make exceptions in our case even though we may be good in general, even though our fathers may be great men and our reputations of outstanding merit." The third temptation is one that strikes at Jesus' foremost passion and concern. The brothers and sisters of Christ are not part of this world because although God made humans, Satan corrupted the relationships of humankind. With this fact the author brings back the response of Jesus that confirms this truth but gives hope to those of God's family who are still on earth today. The advice is to be cautious, for Christians are like sheep among wolves, who should rejoice when persecuted for they are showing the light of God in dark realms of the world.
   The first temptation is Satan tempting the hunger of the Lord. The author compares the two reasons for Jesus' hunger: which are the choice to be hungry in the presence of food and the result of being hungry because of lack of food. Jesus had given up food because he had forgone the demands of the material world with great concentration to contemplate the great challenge of his life. Fasting can be seen as an action of a Christian trying to draw closer to God by giving up the bread of this world for the nourishment that only God can provide. The thought process behind this ritual is that only a hungry can answer the person question of why a human can not only live on bread alone. This is a metaphor for how human cannot live only on the material things of this world but needs God to fully fulfill life.
   At the end of this passage there is a poem that I related to a reading from a previous passage assigned during Post-Christianity Week 1, The Brothers Karamazov by Feodor Dostoevsky. The poem reads: " ...Give me the courage to live, give me the courage to be free, and endure the burden of freedom, and the loneliness of those without chains; let me not be trapped by success, nor by failure, nor pleasure, nor grief..." Feodor wrote on the freedom that God gives me through salvation, but by taking pride, pleasure, or grieving I am chaining myself to the material things of this world. I found this poem inspirational because of its repetitive phrasing asking for courage and release from the very freedom that God gave me by sacrificing his son. By worrying too much over my material desires and interests, I am taking the gift that God has given me and treating it as if it was worthless.   These two passages made me realize that by focusing on the material things of this world I am not only rejecting him but chaining myself to a new master; a master that does not care for my salvation.

Vespers Service

2012-04-24T04:18:42Z

On Thursday April 19, 2011 Concordia students, friends, and families lifted their voices in worship to a magnificent God. The Jubilate Easter Vesper Service in the Graebner Memorial Chapel was centered on music that would bring glory to God. Throughout the service the choir sang songs of thanksgiving, praise, and biblical interpretation and occasionally encouraged the audience to join in. The entire service included unique presentations of the music such as the choir singing in another room, behind the audience, and with musical accompaniment. Although the service was not held in a majestic auditorium or outlandish theatre, it only added to the community spirit that was created with the audience and the performers. The close proximity of all the people in the chapel allowed for a wonderful experience that shows why the music program is one of the pride and joys of Concordia University, Saint Paul.

"Lord, Take My Hand," by Julie von Hausmann was one of the many songs sung by the choir. This song is one that gives strength and inspires those that hear it. It talks about the sinful nature of humans that always goes astray, so to counter act this God is needed to lead, direct, and calm fears of humans. This can be related to human sinful nature. All of humankind in sinful by nature and only through salvation can they be led through the dangers of the world. An illustration of this would be the relationship between the conductor and the choir. An individual singer with no coach is like a person without God. This singer can hit some good notes and may even have some good songs. When that singer is accepted into a choir and coached by a conductor only then can their voice become what it was meant to be. In a choir the singer will grow and perform better, and also be part of something that creates even better music, the congregation. Wayward sinner may be able to struggle through life, but only when they are saved and lead by God do they join the family of God and work with their brothers and sisters to share the word of God to the world.

Since I am member of the Concordia's Honor Program, I have been required to attend music, athletic, theater, art, and political events to enrich my life. The Vesper' Easter program is my last enrichment event and is categorized under the music requirement. After each event I am asked to describe, relate to, and apply the event to my life. Over the course of the year I have related it to vocation, Christianity, and my Christian life. This event did not cause me to have a significant insight to myself but helped complete my overall enrichment at Concordia. By attending these activities I have become associated with multiple arts and insights into life that have changed my perception of the meaning of education and Concordia as a school. I also believe that my faith has also been strengthened because to my exposure of different beliefs and traditions.

A purpose for everone

2012-04-21T00:44:40Z

As Concordia's school year comes to a close, the honors students are posting their final blogs on their interpretations of the assigned readings and how the readings relates to the larger concepts of Christianity as well as their life. Horace Bushnell is a pastor from Connecticut who describes his opinion on how God's Spirit is involved in history and nature. He shares his thoughts in a writing style that captures the reader's attention and for some reason repeatedly uses the word "girding". Horace believes that every human being has one exact purpose that each person works for in their life If that person accomplishes this purpose she or she are believed to have accomplished a great achievement. In order to prove his thesis Bushnell references the scriptures using David and Nehemiah as examples of God caring for each individual and knowing the right path for everyone to demonstrate their talents. Bushnell also steps away from the scriptures to bring in evidence from nature. Nature demonstrates his idea that all parts of life have to eventually lead to the overall purpose of living. The author believes that in nature even the smallest star or grain of sand was created to serve a purpose in the grand scheme of life. The author expands on this to say that since life was created in a perfect balance and with a life plan for all humans, no man or woman has the right to complain or be depressed about the life they are given. To give a practical sense to his argument, Bushnell gives advice to help people come to terms with what God has planned for their life.
To identify a life-long struggle in America today, the Sanneh Foundation is a non-profit organization that reaches out to urban youth who do not have financial stability at home. This organization works with kids who grow up in various circumstances that don't have a clear view of what their future will look like. Bushnell offers the comforting idea to these youth that God has already created a plan for their life and this plan can only be what is best because God is without fault. A youth that is uncertain about his or her future is going to be open to this idea because of the security that it offers for a successful life. This is comparable to how people with less material things are more acceptable to the salvation that God offers then the people who are tied to this world by the material objects and dreams that they want to have. This interpretation allows the reader to form connections with the purpose of a Christian and the concept of salvation as a gift from God.
My initial reaction to Horace Bushnell's concepts was to connect the balance that he uses to describe nature with the complexity that biologists find in every organism and cell. A series of perfect events, mutations, and adaptations have to happen every day just for the body to function properly. With this concept I related my life to that of a piece of a plan that is necessary for the ultimate outcome. Through discussion in class and re-reading some of the text I realized that although life may be planned out, have a set purpose, and is going to end the same no matter what I do, I still do not know what the outcome is. If Bushnell is right that every human has a single purpose that he or she will accomplish, the only way this affects my everyday life is to extract anxiety from it. I no longer have to worry about the outcome of tomorrow because I know that it has already been planned by a being who knows far more than I do about the future.

Science and life

2012-04-04T14:21:00Z

The Sigma Pi convocation on March 28, 2012, is presented by Concordia's very own students about the internships that to correlate with their majors. The first speaker, Hassan Masroujeh, discussed his internship and time at the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic is aimed towards juniors in college who are planning on continuing on to medical school. It is a week long program that offers job shadowing and networking, but also allows opportunities to learn about personal communication and professionalism. This is a key addition to a resume to medical schools. To get involved a student has to have a high GPA, interest in medicine, be part of the community, and be involved or have a passion for research.   Hassan also talks about some research that he did at the University of Minnesota to receive honors for his Biology degree. He works with Spare, an organization that does research on the effect of smoking and the act of rebellion of smoking bans at hospitals. The next speakers were workers at 3M, which is an opportunity for students who are interested in Chemistry. The speakers highlighted how their internship, which is also a part time job, expands their knowledge because of the opportunity to take the concepts they are learning at work and apply them to their studies at Concordia. This internship allows a student to see the development of a chemical or substance and the process in which it become commercialized. Another internship opportunity is at the Children's Dental Services (CDS). It is a nonprofit dental clinic that provides care for families, children and pregnant women that may not have insurance or funds to get the necessary work done. CDS is a very diverse organization that helps reach out to minorities as well. It is good experience for those looking into careers in the dental field.
The spring semester of honors is entitled Scholarship and Service.   The students are reading various texts from the ancient church up until the 20th century. In these texts there are various interpretations of vocation and religion interacting.   A vocation was once thought to only be a calling from God lead to becoming a part of the clergy or the monastic life. Over time this theory evolved into various beliefs, one having a hierarchy of requirements such as to first do service to God, then benefit your soul, exercise the body and finally generate a commodity. For students who are looking for an internship or just a part time job, their first concern is usually the profit that can be made in a short time. Instead, the alternative to this is having a student look into a job like the above nonprofit organization at CDS that first helps others and does service to God. This is not to say that jobs sought out first for commodity then service are not applicable to life; they just present a harder situation to represent God in the work environment. The 3M job, the Mayo Clinic workshop, and the research done by Hassan, were sought out to educate the people involved. This can be as part of the balance that is needed in life. In order to fully serve God, a person cannot expect God to do everything in their life.   These students' work can be seen as preparation for their lives so that God can work in their life and use them for His service.
   In the Reformation readings that I read for last Monday night's honors session an author by the name of Richard Baxter wrote on the hierarchy of choosing a job. In relation to this reading the question was raised if the hierarchy would apply to a summer job, part-time job, or an internship? My first reaction was to say no, that jobs that are short lived experiences in my life are not related to the calling that God has in my life. As I listened to the Sigma Pi seminar, I realized the students were directly relating their part time jobs and internships to the rest of their lives. The students were taking the experiences they were learning and letting it help them achieve their goals in life by expanding their skills and resumes. With this new insight I now believe that I always have to peruse God first, even in my little internship or service project I have to complete. By doing this I will always be able to use what I learn in furthering my opportunities to serve God and others.

The Journey

2012-03-31T02:13:26Z

For week 3 of the Reformation, the honors class read a collection of writings that came from the 17th century. In this era there were various Protestant groups in England that challenged the basics of religion. One of the readings was a passage from Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan. Pilgrim's Progress was the most read book in the United States, second only to the Bible up until the American Civil War. The passage talks about the journey of a man that relates to the life of a Christian. It starts out with the man learning of God through a dream. From there he becomes distressed because he returns home and cannot share his dream with his family because of fear. When he could restrain himself no longer he relays the news of the end of the world and the burning of all the material things they held dear. His family was at first concerned for his health, and then hardened their hearts to what he was saying because they were scared for their own lives. The man continued to be distressed, for he had discovered his damnation but not what to do about it. The answer came to the man while he was in a field in the form of another dream. This dream asked him to set his eyes on the "yonder shining light" that will lead him to the "yonder wicket gate," where he shall knock. At this time the man did not walk, but ran from his life and towards the eternal life that he saw in the distance. The rest of the passage describes the man's voyage as he travels to the light he sees in the distance. The passages describe some of the lands he crossed and the first trials he had to face.
The man's journey can be seen as an analogy of the Christian faith. In order to understand the commitment to God a person has to be able to connect it to the turning from material things of this world to the things of the spiritual world. As the man started his journey the voices of his family called for him to come back. As he continued farther from his home the voices of family turned to those of his neighbors who mocked and threatened him. This can be related to some of the martyr stories earlier in the honors reading curriculum such as Perpetua. Perpetua was a well-established woman who had just given birth when she was sentenced to die with other fellow believers in the arena because of her faith. Family and friends tried to convince her to renounce her faith for the sake of her newborn. Her father was one of the leading people who came and tried to persuade her to give up her claims and save her life. When she did not listen her family became confused and even angry at her for being selfish. What Perpetua was able to grasp, that was lost to her family and the family in the above passage was the importance of eternal life compared to the life on earth. In Pilgrim's Progress the man is asked in his dream why he is not willing to die, if the life he is in has so many evils. In response the man replies it is because of the burden on his back, which he finds the only solution to is to seek the light. Perpetua understood that she could leave this world and her family behind because her burden had been lifted through Christ death and she was free to continue down the path God had chosen for her straight into eternal life.
In honors class, I along with many of the honors students had differing opinions and views on the passages from the reading. In this discussion I realized there are various beliefs and understandings of God's callings for people's lives. A Puritan's belief is the duty to serve others because it is a service to God, which comes before the salvation of one's own soul. Some of my classmates related this to the family of the man, which he left behind in pursuit of his own soul. Through the transition of monastic, middle ages, and medieval beliefs I have read opinions of how theologians believe that a Christian should suffer injustice to oneself but never allow a fellow Christian to suffer a wrong without acting to right it. This goes along with serving the temporal authority out of love for a neighbor not because it affects the state of your own soul but because it benefits your neighbor. I believe these are the ideal actions and emotions in an ideal circumstance; I disagree this is possible for the world today. The belief of looking out for one's neighbor and declaring justice for any wrong comes from the concept of right and wrong that is given to me when I become a believer. In a world that is cracked, if I am asked to heed to the civil laws and guidelines and to use the temporal sword against others with only my opinion I would cause chaos. This means that although I am called to care for my neighbor over myself I first have to become one with God so that I can understand the wrongs of the world through His wisdom. I cannot do a service to God if I first do not believe there is a God.

To Embrace a Side of Beef

2012-03-27T19:29:54Z

Concordia University's drama department presented the student directed play Arcadia on the weekend of March 25, 2012. Arcadia is a complex story that uses mathematical equations and literature as a stage for a tragic love story. The audience was presented with two stories, one in the 19th century and the other set in present time. In the 19th century, the main characters of Septimus, the tutor, and his pupil Thomasina are living at Sidely Park in England. Septimus is attempting to teach Thomasina the basics of Algebra but she is side tracked by a conversation she overheard earlier of "carnal embrace", which Septimus tells her it is to embrace a side of beef. As the story goes on, Thomasina learns the truth of carnal embrace and relates her studies to her new discovery. Thomasina turns out to be a young genius who is capable of understanding mathematical and scientific theories far ahead her time. Septimus embraces the sexual tension in the house, then falls in love with his pupil. After Thomasina's unfortunate death around her birthday, Septimus becomes what is known by researchers as the hermit. He lived on the estate and pledged his life to prove the theories that his lost love discovered about thermodynamics and chaos theory. While this story is being presented on stage a parallel story is displayed during alternating scenes of researchers Hannah and Bernard Nightingale. They are living at Sidley Park present day, trying to discovery the story of who the hermit was. The two stories intertwine to give the audience a full show of humorous dialogue and multiple understandings of love, ethics, and the purpose of intellect. All this comes to the audience from various discussions around a dining room table.
The honors program exhibits an interdisciplinary learning system that encourages the resolution between differing subjects. In the play Arcadia the knowledge of love and academics are the differing subjects. When the two oppositions are harmonized, such as Thomasina's theories, the results surpass either of the subject's individual accomplishments. Thomasina was able to understand that the forces of love and intellect are inseparable and by separating them they are both weakened. Hannah at the beginning of the play has turned her back on love and any information that can be obtained from it. This causes her to be blind to the answers she seeks about the hermit. Bernard Nightingale is on the opposite of the spectrum of Hannah and has blinded himself from the knowledge of love by the act of it and the desire to be famous. Both of these characters are brought to terms with their mistakes at the end of the play when they realize the answers they seek will only come from a compromise of their beliefs and a belief in the power of love and intellect as a collective unit. The honors program is based on the compromise of all academic studies harmonized together to develop a new and deeper understanding of life and collegiate studies. Through this program a student connects concepts from differing academic arenas that would not have been formed otherwise.
Coming into college, I believed I would learn the academic basis for the rest of my life. What I did not understand before attending Concordia is the influence and importance of experiencing life, not just learning about it. As a student I need to combine the conflicting interest in my life and synchronize them to receive that maximum benefit. Being part of the honors program I experience this in the classroom. Also being part of two athletic teams, I have been able to better understand the dynamics of Division 2 Athletics because I can look at them from different angles. This also applies to my experience in my volunteer hours that I participated in this semester for my honors project. By getting off campus and networking with people of the same interests as myself, I was better able to grasp the entire meaning of my interests rather than just my own biased individual opinion. Thomasina was able to grasp ideas and theories ahead of her time because she was open to understandings that people around her had turned away from because they were not thought to be complementary. To be successful I must be open to new ideas and experiences that may interconnect to create something genius.

The Life of a Solider

2012-03-16T16:55:57Z

In an extremely hot room on Monday night, the honors students discussed a group of readings from the Reformation written by Martin Luther; one of the readings was Whether Soldiers to Can be Saved. Luther was an occasional writer, meaning that he wrote in response to issues or events. At this time in the Reformation questions were being raised about the Christian faith and what people should believe. The Anabaptists (believed that adults should only be baptized because only they can accept and declare their faith on their behalf) were declaring that Christians should be pacifists and their followers could not be soldiers or participate in wars. Luther was deeply affected by this declaration and responded in a way that can be applied to the limits of any Christian and their choice of vocation. Luther starts his evaluation by distinguishing the difference between the occupation and the man that holds it. The office or occupation is believed to be a divine position and can be corrupted based on if the man that holds the position is righteous or wicked. A man is wicked by his temporal (worldly) actions and not by his spiritual. The question that Luther ends up addressing is if the actions of a solider (killing, plundering, burning) condemn the man making him wicked, thus making the occupation wrong. To explain where the Anabaptists were wrong in their thinking Luther breaks down the reasons for a solider to perform these actions. A solider can perform these actions out of love. To clarify this statement, an analogy that is used is one of a medical doctor amputating an inflicted leg to prevent further infection. Soldiers fight in a war and kill to promote civil use of the law. By fighting in a war to bring peace and protecting loved ones, soldiers are promoting the qualities of a Christian. Only when soldiers stray from this path is the occupation corrupted.
Wars are not straight forward, people on either side of the fighting line believe that they are fighting for the right cause and the enemy is wrong. When Luther exclaims that when a soldier kills or plunders for the wrong reason they are corrupting their occupation, but does a soldier always know that they are in the wrong? Ambiguous wars such as the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and even the Iraqi War cause confusion to the straight forward definition that Luther has presented. The life of a soldier can be compared to the life of a Christian by comparing how each commitment comes down to individual belief. A Christian has to have a personal relationship with God, but is still affected by the sin in the world. A solider has to know what he or she is fighting for, but is also tied to the implications of the war and the authorities over him or her. If a solider is fighting in a war to protect his or her family, country, and home, then they are not corrupting the office being held. In the same understanding a Christian has to personally devote his or her life to Christ and follow in the steps of Christ, or disgrace all that Jesus died for.
In this passage I realized that I can never blame my job for the sins that happen while I am at work. An occupation or office will be pure and only I can infect them. If my job can be made easier by cheating and cutting corners, the only way corruption can enter the circumstance is if I chose to sin. It is never because my occupation has led me to traps that lead me down the wrong path in life. This passage also revealed to me that although there will not be peace until Christ comes again, it is still the obligation and desire of a Christian to fight and orient their life in a manner that would lead to peace. A soldier can never bring peace to the world by fighting in war in a broken world. However; I as a Christian and a soldier out of necessity to their office can do well in the site of God by doing all my actions out of love for another. This is all that is asked.

The Life of Francis

2012-02-25T00:13:41Z

On Monday night the Honors students discussed the reading assignment from Callings by John Cassian. Part of the reading focused on the life of St. Francis, a merchant's son who found himself called to a life of service and poverty. With the permission of Pope Innocent III he started a new order called the Franciscans. This order held to a strict vow of poverty and sought after a life of simplicity. The followers lived by a set of rules that were excerpts from the Bible as well as rules that Francis wrote to maintain an orderly life. These standards were known as the "Gospel Life" or "Christ's Gospel." These rules were mostly based off three passages Mathew 19:21 ("...sell everything"), Luke 9:3 ("Take nothing on your journey"), and Mathew 16:24 ("Carry out what you have heard"). Over time Francis lived his new way of life and attracted followers to his ways. Francis then tried to get approval from the Council and Pope to sanctify his standards. At first Council saw his standards as too rigorous for any person to obtain or live by. In the end they gave him permission because if they didn't they would have been telling him that he cannot live a life that strives to be like Christ.

"Christ's Gospel" is a standard that no human can live up to. It is a set of rules that a human can never hope to accomplish because of the sin in this world. The meaning of Gospel as it is known today is known as the good news and the life of God's Son. Without the blood shed for the sins of the people no one could hope for salvation. The verses that exemplify this way of thinking are John 3:16("For God so loved the world..."), Romans 3:23 ("...justified by grace"), and Ephesians 2:8-9 ("For it is by grace you have been saved"). The way the Gospels are interpreted today are found to be in the same view as Paul, who explains it as the things Christ did for mankind versus what mankind has to do for God. As time has gone on, the role of the Christian has changed from striving to be like God, to trying to be of use to God, and finally to being of value to God.

My personal reflection involves looking at why the Pope allowed Francis to start the Franciscans. The Pope and council believed that the standards that Francis wanted to live by were not attainable for any human being. Last week the students of Concordia had the opportunity to go to convocation on a new audio Bible: The Word of Promise. Some of the students were critical of the way it presented the gospel and how it might lead to the misinterpretation of God's word. This reading has changed my view on how I should look at other people trying to share God's word. Everyone is not going to agree on how the Bible should be interpreted, but that does not mean I should judge how someone else chooses to share the good news. Just like the council let Francis start his order I should be open to people reading the Bible in whatever way it speaks to them. If the audio Bible is not misinterpreting the Bible, only showing it in a different light, then it can still lead people to Christ. I should never judge something that is trying or is sharing the scriptures. I personally believe that what I do on this earth does not affect my salvation. The good works that I do during this lifetime are for the people that need the help or have not been saved. If Francis was doing the work of God not for himself but to represent who God is on this earth, then he lived life as God wanted him to.

Woo-Hoo!

2012-02-22T04:10:42Z

The Honor students of Concordia University were given the privilege to sit down over dinner with JoBe Cerny. Mr. Cerny is well known as the director of the new Audio Bible: the Word of Promise and the voice of the Pillsbury Dough Boy. Over dinner the students were able to talk to him about the relation of God's calling in his life and his own dreams. Mr. Cerny talks about his love of writing and acting, but also lets the student know about passion of the Christian ministry. As he describes his education and the road he traveled to arrive at the spot he is today he layers everything with encouragement and words of wisdom. When talking about the classes he took in college he tells the students not to take any class to "get it out of the way" but to only take the classes that directly impact their life. With a few minutes left in the session, the floor is opened up to the students to ask for advice concerning how to tackle their dreams but remain rooted in God. Some more advice is given to individual students but as an overall and parting statement, Mr. Cerny gives the advice to trust God. He shared how he studied for the Christian ministry and never thought he would use it, but he didn't know that God was preparing him for the huge project of the Audio Bible later in his life.
JoBe Cerny is an example of a man who loves God and is successful in the world. In the honors discussions on Monday nights, students debate what the calling of God means. There are debates over religious perfection, obedience, wealth, and the secular positions Christians should hold in the world. Over time, Christianity has developed and in some ways changeg to keep up with the ever-changing values of this world. Through the readings and the discussion time with Mr. Cerny, it is possible to perceive that God is unchanging. The opinions of what humans need to do in order to stay in contact with God change depend on the lives of the people of that time. Questions come up with how to use the blessing that are given and understand the scriptures. In the end God is always waiting man to completely give in to Him.
Through my life, I stress over all the decisions I have to make in order to accomplish my goals. I worry over problems that don't have solutions. I even worry about decisions that I have to make months from the current moment, all in an attempt to control my life. By dictating how many minutes I am going to give to the different pursuits in my life, I leave little room for God to show me what I need. In my life I have to take the time to sit back and just wait. Then everything that God has given me can come into focus and I won't need to worry, just appreciate and be thankful. After I give time for God to work, He will be able to use me to spread His world like He is using Mr. Cerny with his audio Bible. Setting a time to think and be with God is a tradition formed back in the time of monasticism and has been lost in the bustle of the new age. This relates to the time that Mr. Cerny gets up in the morning (at 3:00 a.m. might I add!) to write and set aside time to think.

The Word of Promise

2012-02-22T04:08:28Z

The Honors class of Concordia Saint Paul is required to attend a certain amount of events on campus to enrich their lives. One of the requirements is to attend convocations that are held by the school to enlighten the students of what's going on in the world or just around campus. In the second week of February, the campus was graced with the presence of the man behind the well-known Pillsbury Dough Boy giggle. Job Cerny was not there to sell the audience delightful pastries but to sell his latest project. For the past 3 years he has been the director for the major project of developing the new Audio Bible: The Word of Promise. His masterpiece had 600 hundred actors, an entire orchestra, and had taken 75,000 takes to get to right. The audio Bible was described as, "A reading of the Bible that changed the way the words were heard." The script was the exact words from a New King James Version Bible. One of the biggest accomplishments of this Bible stated by the director, "...was for the first time all the names in the Bible were pronounced correctly!"
An audio Bible is a translation of the Bible that some Christians find appealing and others tend to stay away from. The Bible causes all sorts of emotions to be experienced, and many times causes the reader to be drawn closer to the Lord. In an audio Bible, the scriptures are read by an actor and often times the actor is trying to portray the emotion that was "felt" at the time the message was written. By the input of others emotions, readers may find they lose the connection they once had with the written word. Instead of being drawn to the scripture, they are drawn to the dramatic feel of the Bible. The directional background music and important actors that read the text may interpret the scripture in a different way than it was intended. On the other hand, people are drawn closer to God through this sort of preaching. When the scripture is read, it can tie things together that people have missed because they have been focusing on one section of scripture compared what the entire passage. The hope of the director was for the audio Bible to drive listeners to the word to read more.
I am not the only Christian that can admit to reading the Bible and finding a passage a little dry or not pertaining to my life at that time and skimming over it. I don't do it on purpose but just find my mind wandering for a few minutes and realize a few moments later that I have no idea what I have read for the past few lines. An audio Bible does not solve this problem but may cause me to listen with more concentration. The audio version holds an appeal of being able to visualize different parts of the Bible because of the suggested background noise. On the other hand, I know that no matter how much I listen to the Bible, there will be nothing like the time that I give up to the Lord that is a quiet conversation. This is a time where I am alone with my thoughts and the words that He left behind for me to read. An audio Bible could be a good addition to my life but will never replace the written word for me, but that does not mean it can't for others.

Political enrichment activity

2012-02-15T15:59:44Z

A meeting of political supporters for a specific political party is a caucus. In Saint Paul, Minnesota   members of the Republican Party gathered in the cafeteria of a middle school to discuss potential presidential nominees for the upcoming election. Ron Paul, nominee, was highly supported and was represented by a passionate speaker about the standards of the conservative and Republican Party. Other speakers and representatives were mentioned with short speeches usually written in the form of a letter from the nominee. After supporters gave their opinion to the entire audience, people were then separated by neighborhoods to vote, select delegates, and council members. Since some people came as observers they are allowed to listen and contribute to the conversation but not vote or run for any positions. When a person is asked to be a delegate they must state their reasons and if they want to, what presidential candidate they support. If too many people apply for a position there is a vote and the majority wins. After positions have been assigned the floor is opened to people of the area to offer resolutions. These are subjects the state, the constitution, and the party support.
   The United States government was formed from thinkers and well educated people. The process of government which now runs the country has transformed into small gatherings of people discussing issues. Representatives that are not well known are then voted on. The people are praying that the leaders will listen to the pleas of the people and follow through on their election promises. Politics has become more a competition than a representation of what people want. Over time something that was created for the common good has been corrupted by people who don't care to take the time to learn about the dictators of their life.   In the honors class at Concordia they are trying to form the concept of intertwining different ideas and drawing conclusions. They are teaching a person to think for themselves and created opinions of the things in life. The political parties fail to do this for the people. Republican and Democrat parties represent issues but do the people who lead them? Caucasus are made to clarify what the people want from the upcoming election, but only succeed to show that the people's intellect isn't high enough to understand the depths of politics anymore.
   As a senior in high school I was required to take a government class. I'm not much of a history expert so I was not excited about the class. What I failed to realize is that the history of government is as much part of today's government as the bills that are being passed now. The confusion is the same one that I have with the Old Testament in the bible. I get so caught up in the stories and how different life was; I fail to grasp how it relates to my everyday life. I know that Jesus has fulfilled the law of the Old Testament, but that doesn't mean I still learn something from it. Being literate in the ways of old will help me to understand how like those of the past, I can never work past the sin that lives in me. Over time all people hear about Christians is how our Lord died for everyone's sins. What Christians such as myself need to share is the great joy that people feel from learning about God. I get so caught up in thinking that God doesn't understand the troubles of my life right now. I'm learning that I just need to pick up the Bible to know that I am not the first one to have these problems. My problems are not the worst thing that has happened. Knowing more about the past also gives me hope because of the immense amount of promises that the Lord makes and always keeps.

If God calls, Will you answer?

2012-02-03T00:51:35Z

Should I be a Christian? How public should I be about my faith? These are some of questions that the book Calling raises in the readers mind within the first chapter. During the reading , the writer explores different point of views from martyrs during the years of the Early Church. These martyrs included Perpetua and the company that was with her, Ignatius of Antioch and Justin Martyr. Perpetua's story was of the imprisonment of her and other believers. They were not scared of their death but understood that this was the path that God has chosen for them. Ignatius' account was 1 of 7 letters sent while he was being transported to Rome to be executed. He gives a different outlook than most Christians and gives the reader a look at why non-believers thought of Christians as a cult. Justin Martyr's writings are a mix of feelings and discoveries he stumbles upon when looking for answers about life. He starts out as a believer in philosophers and philosophies but then finds the truth of Christianity. Two other authors are in the first pages of this book and are included because their writings hit on the same topics as the martyrs; they are Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian. Clement writes a sermon on the controversial topic of how a wealthy person can be a Christian. He was living in an environment where Christians developed questions about what they should do with their wealth, as Jesus said a rich man cannot enter heaven. Through his sermon the reader gets a taste of what higher class Christians were going through at that time. The last writer of this section was Tertullian. He was a Christian who wrote a letter as an Apologist (to write in the defense of the faith) to the emperor describing the problem of how Christians were viewed in a conflicting light by those ignornant of the faith. His writings gave a basic outline of beliefs and practices at that time. His defense mechanism was providig evidence on how the Christian faith improves a person's morals and values.
These writings help place the Christians of the present into the lives of Christians of the past. Issues that are problems today are not all new problems but are situations that have been faced since the beginning of religion and before. People today see dramatic changes on how Christianity has been treated over time. Persecution use to be open and dramatic. There were serious consequences if caught practicing your belief. A person could lose his/her family, home, even life. In these stories the believers were willing to sacrifice all of their worldly provisions for the sake of God, his/her life being counted as a one of these things. As time has gone on, Christians have been asked to give up less and less in the eyes of the world. Christians find themselves in a trickier spot than before. God calls Christians to be in the world but not of it. This means they still sacrifice daily the things they want for God's will. When Ignatius of Antioch called his guards "wild beasts," he could have been talking about how Christians are to be treated by the world. When one is walking in the light, the world will hate the Christians. This is why Ignatius took comfort in the disgust his keepers showed him. Today people want to belong, not be hated. This is what Christians have to sacrifice today. They do not fulfill God's calling by dying but living.
Whatever God has given me is for a purpose. He has never forced me to do anything. By trying to follow him I will serve not only His best interested but also my own. By letting me make my own choices, a relationship has been created. If I make a choice I have to deal with the consequences. That does not mean that God leaves my side and we no longer have a relationship, I just have to deal with my choices. But what makes the bond between God and me is that He always forgives. No matter how many times I refuse his way and force my own way, He will always take me back. Before time even began God knew the choices I would make and accepted them and forgot them. He forgave me the moment I failed. So although the class had different views, on if the decisions of the martyrs were right or wrong, it's not our choice to judge, it's Gods. God calls all of us to sacrifice something different.