February 2012 Archives

            The task at hand is to describe the dinner the Honors class shared with JoBe Cerny on February 15^th, 2012. Mr. Cerny is a famous actor, writer, director, and is truly a jack of all trades. He is probably most famous for being the voice and personality behind the Pillsbury Doughboy. This is a man who has lived his dreams, done what he wanted to do, and has not let anything stand in his way. He spoke a lot of living life to the fullest in a variety of ways, such as: always finding a purpose for taking a class, always put oneself out there, and the best place to find work is where there is none. JoBe Cerny came to Concordia St. Paul to do a convocation for the school about his newest work, the audio bible. Surprisingly, this was talked about very little at the dinner. Although the dinner was hurried due to Mr. Cerny's tight schedule, he still made time to attempt to make a difference in the lives of CSP's honors students.

            Mr. Cerny's words were quite inspiring. He encouraged the honors class to find exactly what they wanted to do. He even asked individuals if they were having trouble incorporating their different interests into one career. Mr. Cerny emboldened the class to not only follow dreams, but to follow every aspect of one's interests and develop a perfect career. He assured that where there is nothing, is where there needs to be something. If one's ideal interests create a career that seemingly doesn't exist, then it is worth trying to fill that vacancy. He spoke of the need to put oneself on a limb and be ambitious. He used an example of applying at an oceanography institute when he was in the eighth grade. This was something that obviously was not going to happen, but the fact that he tried showed how determined of a man he is, and a boy he was. The point of Cerny's words was to follow one's dreams and be whatever one wants to be, regardless of what society has told them or whether it has been done before.

            Personally, I was amazed by Mr. Cerny's confidence. In fact, part of me feels that he was overconfident. His words were inspiring, but in most cases unrealistic. The idea of creating something where there is nothing is a beautiful concept in theory, but in reality, it rarely works out. Something tells me that Mr. Cerny comes from privilege and had more opportunities than the average person. Many people do not have the freedom to follow their dreams because they have to ensure they will have a career in order to pay off college bills. Like anybody, I would love to get multiple degrees and combine them to create a perfect job, but the reality of the situation is that not everyone can afford basic, community college, let alone prestigious universities. JoBe Cerny was a very nice, inspiring man, but I think he needed to be a little more down to earth.

The convocation that took place on Wednesday, February 15^th, 2012 was one of laughter as well as one of promise. Presented by Jobe Cerny, a talented actor and director, known most famously as the Pillsbury Dough Boy, this convocation was a presentation of the new audiobook of the Bible. Jobe Cerny directed the actors and sequences in order to make this book a reality. Jobe Cerny went into great detail about the process of how he wanted the book to feel and how he wanted it to authentically represent the bible. The audience previewed nine minutes of the New Testament in the audiobook, which was filled with dramatic scores and language from the bible. He then took questions from the audience including how the scoring of the music was throughout the book, if the celebrities had any changes of faith during production, and if he felt that the actors played true not only to the "characters" in the bible, but to the actual people that they represent. Mr. Cerny answered each question in detail and was well versed for his presentation.

            It is very obvious that Mr. Cerny takes great pride in his work, especially this one. As a prime example of this, he takes time out of his schedule to introduce the book to students and to answer their questions. The presentation included a good combination of both humor and a remembrance of what the bible represents to us as Christians, and therefore why this audiobook should be important to us. The nine minute preview of the New Testament portion of this audiobook was particularly intriguing because it not only resembled a movie trailer, but it contained words and actions that truly resonate with us as Christians. The fact that Mr. Cerny went from Pillsbury Doughboy to doing something with a bit more substance that was important to him shows tremendous character. The time and dedication that he put into this audiobook is astounding. As he spoke, the pride was easily heard in his voice by the audience as he explained all the people he worked with from actors to theologians to make sure that this audiobook was done as a positive reflection of the Bible. Not only is this a tremendous feat, but to see the man responsible for piecing it together take such pride in his work was truly inspiring.

            I absolutely loved this convocation. It was probably one of the best I have attended all year. I am very interested in buying this audiobook of the Bible simply because I saw the pride, the work, the sweat, and the tears that went into this creation. I believe that God is looking down with pride that his people are finding new ways to spread his glorious word. This audiobook could be a revelation for Christianity and mankind. Many people never know the truth of the Bible simply because they cannot read or are blind, and though I do not believe they are the sole purpose this book was made, I do believe they will be able to benefit highly from its production. The Bible is the most important book in all of Christianity, and Christians would argue in the entire world, and to see it being redistributed in such a fantastic, new way is awe-inspiring. I have the greatest hopes that this audiobook will help people rediscover their faith as well as help them remember their faith and why it is important.

            These texts reflect some questions and feelings surrounding Christianity both in the past and now.  Ignatius was a martyr who took great pride in his Christianity and also felt no matter how painful his death, he looked forward to it and being united with Christ. Justin Martyr's texts are inspiring because they all show the process by which he became a Christian and had his questions answered. Perpetua's story is much more of a hard-hitting story of the extremes of martyrdom. She had to break the heart of her father, leave her child motherless, and trust in God completely.  Clement's text was primarily a tirade on the unnecessary giving up of possessions "to be a good Christian". His point was that no one can help anyone if they give away everything they have. This truly relates to helping people today. Sometimes honors students have to give up their own time, gas, etc in order to do their projects. In Clement's eyes he would see this as an impossibility if the honors students had given up all their possessions, because they would not be able to do service for others. Lastly, Tertullian's texts were letters to the Romans, telling them why their myths and rumors about Christians were untrue. His usage of knowledge and faith to tell his side of Christianity is inspiring to Christians from all times. All texts from the first part of Callings inspire Christians to be prouder of their faith.   

            As a Christian, these writings inspired me. They inspired me to be a better person, be a better Christian, and be a better neighbor. I believe my calling has always been to help people with psychological problems. As a person who knows the effects of psychological disorders and mood disruptions, I have always felt empathy and had the ability to help people with their problems. When it comes to my project, therapy for people is frowned upon when you do not have a psychology degree. However, I was able to find cats that have been psychologically damaged and do my best to help them. When I pet a cat that a few months ago was hissing at me from a distance, I feel as if I healed a part of myself as well as the cat. I don't believe that this is my life's calling, but I do believe that God created me to help people in times of stress and times of need.