Alexander Wright

Dorothy Day

2012-05-09T20:38:28Z

Dorothy Day was an american journalist, social activist, and devout Catholic convert. She dropped out of the University of Illinois to write for socialist and pacifist newspapers and was also considered to be an anarchist. In 1917 she helped with a protest against women not being able to vote which led to her arrest. After her jail time, she trained and became a nurse. She had an abortion but with her second pregnancy she insisted on keeping the child even though the father had no intentions of marrying her. When she was growing up, Dorothy had no connection with the church. However, she joined a Catholic Church and had her daughter baptized. Dorothy later met Peter Maurin, a French former Christian Brother now dedicated to a Franciscan ideal of poverty. Together they formed a Catholic Worker Movement. Dorothy continued to write, protest, and serve the poor until her death.

Dorothy talks about loving others and how someone cannot love God until they love others. This relates to Christian vocation today because all Christians are called to love others and spread the Gospel. It is by grace that we have been saved through faith as Ephesians says. However a result of our faith is good works such as loving others and sharing the Gospel. These things are built inside of everyone and as long as they do not try to reject God using them in this way then all Christians go out to love others and serve others. Dorothy Day makes this point that we are called to love others.

Taking the hoods off Concordia

2012-05-09T17:29:23Z

On Monday April 30th, the Concordia University communications class led an event called "Taking the hoods off Concordia" in memory of the Trayvon Martin shooting. The communications class asked people to come out and participate in a walk around Concordia to inform them about teenage violence. Everyone was asked to wear a hooded sweatshirt with their hood up while walking. Before the walk started, there was a speech given about why the communications class coordinated the event. The students walked around Concordia and there were signs posted that had statistics about violence. "Teens are 2.5 times more likely than adults to be victims of violence. Blacks are 10.1 times more likely than whites to enter prison for drug offenses. In 1997 there was 17 youth homicide victims each day in the United States. Over 98% of middle school students have witnessed or have been the victim of violence." After the contemplative walk, the students gathered in front of the Chapel again and participated in a communal removal of their hoods. There was a final speech given by students in the communication class to inform and thank the community.

This event was dedicated was dedicated to honor a boy who was killed by a police officer. It brings up the topic of what his vocation was or if it was fulfilled because he died at an early age. Did he even get a chance to live out his vocation? As Christians, our main vocation is that we are called to love others and spread the Gospel. All other vocations stem from that main vocation. Trayvon might not have been a Christian but he had the opportunity to live out that vocation just as everyone else does. Even if someone dies at a young age they still have a calling and vocation from the Lord to love and spread the Gospel.

I enjoyed taking the time at this event to walk around campus and reflect on the messages that were posted. This event also had a second goal to bring together the diverse groups on campus. I met new people that I had seen around Concordia but never took the time to meet. I liked meeting new people and intend to make more of an effort to meet everyone I can at Concordia. The campus has been focusing on diversity and how groups segregate themselves from each other. I intend to take this information with me into next year as I am an RA again and meet new people.

Trapped at the Poehler Lecture Series!

2012-05-01T14:17:41Z

On April 24th in the Beutow Auditorium, Concordia St. Paul University held its eleventh annual Poehler Lecture. This year the featured speakers were Dr. Dale Trapp and the Rev. Dr. Thomas Trapp. The lecture started with an introduction of both Dr. Dale and Dr. Tom by Dr. Lump. The Trapp brothers then began with a background of their family history. They talked about their parents getting confirmed then eventually getting married. Dr. Dale and Dr. Tom were born and went to St. Stephens Lutheran School. The brothers got confirmed and at that time were living in Detroit. Dr. Tom then took a section to explain the good news. Dr. Tom put up many illustrations of the relationship humans had and have with Jesus Christ. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17). Humans were made in perfection and then rejected God. However Jesus took God's wrath upon himself and dies for our sins so we have our old nature within our new nature. Dr. Dale then talked about his church related experiences and his world related experiences. He talked about how faith and teaching is connected but not in some ways that people would hope. Some students like to use miracles to solve math or science equations, however this is not an appropriate way to combine faith and learning. He talked about creation and all the things he is privileged to study like the small neutrino to the large galaxies. Dr. Tom then talked about motivation in the Bible. Dr. Tom divides motivation into teleology and ontology. Dr. Tom says that teleology uses reward and punishment to motivate while ontology says that what motivates us is inside of us. He also explained how God is active in justification and sanctification, while humans are passive (or dead) in justification and active (or alive) in sanctification. Next Dr. Dale talked about mysteries and miracles. Mysteries seem to correlate with science and miracles seem to correlate with faith. Mysteries are to be probed and are complex while miracles are outside of common occurrence. Dr. Tom then talked about the ways that the Bible are used, as a road map, a blueprint, and operating instructions. He talked about the many analogies he uses to explain theology, stages of prophetic faith, and other metaphors he uses. Dr. Dale then talked about controversy and resolution and summed up with the intersection of faith and learning.

The Poehler Lecture Series focuses on faith and learning as its overall topic every year. The Trapp brothers took this a step further and compared two subjects that most people think contradict each other: science and Christian faith. The Trapp brothers made a point to say in their lecture that they believe faith and science do not contradict each other and can be beneficial to one another. Dr. Tom and Dr. Dale said that they learn from one another and go to each other for help. This relates to the Honors program which seeks to relate faith and learning. Last year in honors, the class had a science section and the class was even taught by Dr. Dale Trapp for some parts. The class related science and faith and even this year science and faith were related with the cadaver lab. Dr. Schuler talked about death and the afterlife when we went in to view the cadaver and had our discussion.

I enjoyed hearing from both the Trapp brothers again. I really enjoy listening to the Rev. Dr. Tom Trapp speak about theology and his parts of the lecture were a nice overview and review of all the things I have learned in his classes. Dr. Dale Trapp was also very informative and makes me want to take his classes as well. I have respect for the Trapp brothers because they see the importance of how faith and science are not enemies and can relate in very important ways. They respect each other's work and use what they have learned from each other. I hope to continue to learn about the intersection of faith and learning especially with science because most people think they contradict each other. I want to be able to relate faith and learning with my students when I become a Director of Christian Education.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

2012-04-28T04:28:11Z

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, born February 4, 1906, was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian, anti-Nazi, and founding member of the Confessing Church. Bonhoeffer graduated summa cum laude from the University of Berlin in 1927 and earned his doctorate in theology at the age of 21 with his doctoral thesis, Sanctorum Communio (Communion of Saints), which presented a significantly new way of looking at the nature of the Christian church and was praised by Barth as a "theological miracle." He was involved in plans by members of the Abwehr (the German Military Intelligence Office) to assassinate Adolf Hitler. He was arrested in April 1943 by the Gestapo and executed by hanging in April 1945, 23 days before the Nazis' surrender. His view of Christianity's role in the secular world has become very influential. His book was published in 1937 and he addressed the demands Christianity might make on a person's life and the importance of obedience to Jesus' call.

According to Bonhoeffer, the road to faith or discipleship is obedience to the call of Jesus Christ. Christ calls people and they follow, which is grace and and commandment in one. Bonhoeffer says the one who has faith is obedient and the obedient have faith. The two cannot be separate. People must believe in Jesus Christ to be able to receive the call, and then they can act and be obedient to the call. In addition, only the call of Jesus makes a situation where faith is possible.

I agree with Bonhoeffer to an extent. I think that faith and obedience (or works) go together but not exactly in the way that Bonhoeffer explains it. If someone has faith in Jesus Christ, then they are alive in Christ. Obedience is a response to the faith someone has in Jesus Christ. People have the tools built in their hearts to be obedient to God and Jesus Christ. In faith we are led by the Spirit and the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. The Spirit leads us in our faith to emanate good works. We are not under the law, as Galatians states, but we rely on faith to lead us to good works.

"Dietrich Bonhoeffer." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Apr. 2012. Web. 30 Apr. 2012. .

Instrumental Ensembles Concert

2012-04-11T20:57:25Z

The Spring Instrumental Ensembles Concert was March 30, 2012. This concert was a performance for the percussion ensemble and the concert band at Concordia University. Professor Aaron Isakson directs both groups and even plays with the percussion ensemble. The percussion ensemble started off the concert with a full group piece entitled "A Moment of Funk." The next piece, "The Ragtime Robin," featured Jacob Larson on the xylophone with accompaniment from other members of the ensemble. Next the Concert band performed four pieces. The first selection was a medley of big band jazz songs and was called "Big Band Spectacular." The band continued with a slow song, "Elsa's Procession to the Cathedral." The last two pieces were "Tarantella" by Alfred Reed and "Prairiesong" by Carl Strommen. At the end, the band received a standing ovation and played another piece called "Dervish Chorus" by Beethoven.

Concordia does not have a strong instrumental program compared to other colleges, yet students still find the time and motivation to participate in instrumental groups. As Martin Luther expressed, vocation does not have to specifically be a person's job. Other roles can be one of many vocations for people. This relates to the instrumental ensembles because not all of the students are music majors and are not required to participate in the ensembles. The students participate out of enjoyment. Professor Isakson expresses that he directs and leads the group out of his passion for music but also for praise to God. Vocations can be directed in a way that praises God and is also enjoyable for the person.

I am in the concert band and therefore participated in playing songs for the audience. I enjoy playing music and using my talents for the enjoyment of others and in praise to God. To prepare for the concert I spent time in rehearsals learning to listen to the other members of the band. Listening to the whole band is very important to create balance and keep time together. I am not a professional instrumentalist but I used my time and talents to learn the music and work with the other members of the band. I enjoy using my talents to be a part of the band.

Sigma Pi Convocation

2012-04-11T19:53:35Z

On March 28^th, 2012 the math and science department at Concordia University held the Sigma Pi convocation that focused on students' internships in their specific area of study. Hassan Masroujeh started the convocation speaking about the Mayo clinic where many Concordia students have had successful internships. The Mayo Clinic was founded by the Mayo brothers and is one of the top hospitals in the world. The clinic has a special Mayo program that is aimed towards juniors and seniors in college who want to be physicians. The program is a weeklong session and has three different sessions: one in June, July, and August. The Mayo program has a lot to offer for student participants including shadowing, networking, professionalism, personal connections, and more. Two Concordia students, Kara and Ted, then talked about their internships at the Mayo Clinic. Kara worked as a tech aid where she runs tests and makes spreadsheets to analyze data. She noted that science teachers always tell students to keep a very detailed notebook and she has to do that as part of her duties. Ted works in an environmental part of the Mayo clinic and noted that the internship gives students good experience with the non-academic parts of a job. Another student, Kaolee, talked about her internship at Children's Dental Services (CDS). CDS was established in 1919 and is a nonprofit dental service for children up to twenty-one years old and pregnant women. Many of the dentists working there are voluntary and the clinic is all green. She talked about her duties for the internship and all the things she has learned. Hassan then came back to wrap up the convocation with a talk about a research project called SPARE though the University of Minnesota. SPARE is a project focused on smoking bans. He talked about how there is a hypothesis that the majority of people h=who are not listening to smoking bans are health care employees.

This semester of Honors focuses on vocation through the ages in the readings that are assigned for every Monday. In today's society, one vocation a person can have is their job. Most people view life in a similar way where a person goes to school for an education and then goes on to their job. Internships are an additional facet for education and learning towards a person's future job. People gain experience and continue their education towards their job or vocation. This view of vocation has changed drastically from the early times of Christianity. People used to believe that only the religious authorities had a true calling and vocation. Martin Luther was a major leader to help change that viewpoint. Luther said that everyone had a vocation and calling and could even have multiple vocations. A vocation did not have to be a religious leader and did not have to be a job either. A vocation could be fulfilling the role of a father or mother. Now, internships can be viewed as a vocation or part of a vocation of a student.

This convocation was probably very helpful for science students looking for internships in the future. This convocation helped me connect with the science community and realize what the community is doing. I also learned from the students that shared their experiences of internships that internships are very helpful and informative. I will be starting my fieldwork next year for the D.C.E. program which is similar to an internship. The next year I will be placed in a church for a real year-long internship. I am looking forward to fieldwork and internship but I am also nervous for the real world and applying what I have learned. I know that I have learned a lot and I am ready to demonstrate my abilities, but I still nervous for when the time comes.

You sly Fox

2012-03-31T04:12:48Z

George Fox lived in the post-reformation period and found his calling within a group called the Quakers. Fox felt his calling at an early age and found the church groups he encountered unsatisfactory in various ways. He believed that church was made up by the people and not the physical building. He refused to call churches by their name and referred to them as "steeple-houses." Fox believed that the church was made up of the people who had seen the "light." This inner light was available to everyone within themselves which was the living Christ who provides a reliable guide and religious truth.

Fox brought a new concept to the meaning of church. The church was not the physical building but was the people who had Christ living in and through themselves. This was good news for people back in the time that Fox was alive and continues to be a good message for every Christian. This means that people can still be called outside of work directly in the church. It also gives everyone equal opportunity to live out the living Christ within themselves. Things do not have to be reserved only to the physical building of the church. Ministry and faith life can happen anywhere because the people are the church. Fox provides a good example of equal opportunity when he speaks out against the priest and stands up for the woman. The priest would not allow the woman to talk because he did not agree with women speaking in the church.

I liked this reading because I felt like I related to Fox in many ways when I younger. I felt like the church was unsatisfactory in many ways. I felt like people had the notion that the church was the building and did not consider their faith anywhere else. Even though I did not come up with the idea that the church was the people and not the building, I felt like the church building restricted people to their traditional ways. Now my views have changed and I like some traditional aspects of the church. I do believe that a church building is not necessary for worship and praise to God but I believe it does help to have a church building.

"Carnal embrace is..."

2012-03-28T20:47:40Z

This last weekend in the Westlund Blackbox, there were four performances of Arcadia directed by Concordia student Mina Souvannasoth. Mina won the contest for best student directed play last semester and therefore was given the opportunity to direct the whole play this semester. Arcadia was written by Tom Stoppard and has a complicated and sometimes confusing plot. The story begins in Derbyshire, England in 1809 with a young girl Thomasina and her tutor Septimus. Thomasina is extremely smart and is trying to figure out an equation to plot anything. Septimus is getting information from Thomasina, and at the same time has to deal with other problems like Mr. Chater and his poem, Mr. Noakes and his landscape planning, and Lady Croom trying to run everything the way she wants it to be done. The play then shifts focus to modern day with the characters Bernard and Hannah. Bernard is trying to understand what happened to Mr. Chater in the past regarding his poem and how Septimus and another friend Byron were involved with Chater and his death. Hannah's fake fiancé Valentine is involved in math and is trying to understand Thomasina's equation. As the play develops, the audience makes connections between all the people and the connections between the past and present. However, the play is complex and has many little aspects that help to bring the whole plot together.

Within the play, there are many different themes and concepts that are discussed. Thomasina is working with Fermat's theorem and is trying to create an equation. Valentine is also working with math analyzing his grouse and then he also works with Thomasina's equation. Chater writes a poem that Septimus reads and that Bernard and Hannah look at to discover what happens in the past. The story jumps between past and present which gives a sense of history. There are many other subjects covered in the play like music, archaeology, philosophy, literature, and much more. This relates to the interdisciplinary aspect of the Honors Program because the course brings together many subjects and provides direction and meaning to them. This is the same as the play because there are many subjects in the play and as the play develops, the subjects are brought together and provide more insight and meaning to the play.

I was one of the actors in the play and the whole experience was very rewarding. As I rehearsed with the other actors and actresses we all learned about the play and all the little details. We also had discussions around some of the subjects in the play and it seemed like the play was relating to our lives. One thing that I learned after the play, I heard from Jordan. He said that his character, Septimus, was having sex and doing dishonorable things the whole play and then the one thing that he does right at the end of the play ends up bad. He refuses to have sex with Thomasina and because he did not go to her room, she ends up dead from her room burning in a fire. I thought about that and thought it to be very interesting. I still do not know exactly what to make of it or how to apply it but I love different insights that make me think.

Ignatius Loyola

2012-03-24T03:14:52Z

The Spiritual Exercises was written by Ignatius Loyola who came from a Spanish noble family. Ignatius Loyola led a life of asceticism after he was wounded in battle. People were then inspired by Ignatius' passions and formed the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits. The group was soon approved by the Pope as a new order and quickly became leading missionaries and intellectuals of the church. This time period is during the Reformation where many new branches of Christianity were forming and making known their beliefs and morals. Ignatius states in The Spiritual Exercises that

This text is relevant to Christian vocation and service because it deals with making decisions. In today's society, people are pressing the youth to decide what they want to do for the rest of their life at a young age. When the reality is actually that many people do not know what they want to do even when they get into college. People make other decisions as well and sometimes these decisions are larger decisions that need more consideration. Ignatius provides a method to present decisions to God for consideration.

I personally enjoyed this reading because it presents a spiritual basis for making decisions. I know that it is hard for me to pray about the things going on in my life and present them to God. Ignatius provides an outline that is very helpful to follow. It is also hard to be patient for an answer from God and Ignatius expresses that patience is an important aspect. Personally I feel like I have many tough decisions going on in my life at the moment. I think I will try to use Ignatius' outline to present my issues to God, and even if I do not use Ignatius' outline, I have become more aware of myself and how I want to pray more about my problems.

Dinner and a Chat

2012-02-22T21:50:03Z

The dinner started with a distinct laugh. The Pillsbury Dough Boy laugh. JoBe Cerny, the voice of the Pillsbury Dough Boy, joined the Honors Program students for dinner on the evening on Wednesday February 15, 2012. This dinner revolved around the idea of achievements, success, and finding passion in what one does. JoBe talked about his achievements such as working with Saturday Night Live, the voice of the Pillsbury Dough Boy, and most recently his audio Bible. JoBe then opened up the discussion and asked the students to tell him their dreams and aspirations so he could find any obstacles or help with finding their true passion.

Lauren asked JoBe about writing and her aspirations to be a fiction novelist that also includes faith. JoBe told a story about his friend, a writer, who would get up early to write for two hours every morning. However, his friend would only spend those two hours writing because the rest of the day he would experience life because that is how he would come up with ideas. Jordan inquired about his passions for theater while also being a pastor. JoBe then told a story about a man carrying a small box who boarded a plane and sat next to him. JoBe told the story in a way to create suspense and make everyone think the small box was a bomb, but it really contained barbeque chicken. He illustrated to Jordan how acting can be used while telling a story and how he can combine his two passions.

JoBe discussed how the many interests and passions of people can be combined to have a career or be involved in something that is truly interesting to the person. He talked about his passions and he had the opportunity to combine them into one thing that he loved. This relates to the topic of vocation and what someone is called to do. The idea of Christian vocation has changed a lot over the years, but in today's society people think about what they are passionate about and how they can combine that passion with their talents. JoBe tried to help the Honors Program students with this dilemma. Some people have an idea of what they want to do with their life in the future, but have other passions that they do not want to give up. Other students still do not know what they want to do in the future and figuring out what they are passionate about.

The Honors Program students seem to be a unique group of students that are talented and passionate in many areas. I know that I have many passions and interests that I would not like to give up as I grow up. JoBe helped to shed light on how everyone can incorporate all the passions. I found it interesting that he said that each "project" he has worked on has highlighted an interest that he has. This made me think that I cannot always include all my passions into one route, but I can have many small routes along the overall main route that highlight my different interests. Another thing I found highly inspirational was that he gave advice to experience life. He explained that experiencing life gives people new ideas and thoughts as well as a break from their work. I believe this advice is very helpful because I find that many times I get overwhelmed and consumed by work that I do not take time to experience the world.

Unfortunately Morgan Freeman is not the voice of God...

2012-02-22T21:06:03Z

The convocation on Wednesday February 15, 2012 was "The Word of Promise: The Bible as an Audio Book." The speaker who directed this audio Bible was none other than the Pilsbury Dough Boy, JoBe Cerny. JoBe is an actor, director, producer, and writer and has worked on other things such as writing material for Saturday Night Live. JoBe studied to be a pastor but then redirected his route and graduated from Valparaiso University with majors in Speech/Drama and English. He later achieved his Master's degree from Northwestern University in Theater. JoBe discussed how the audio Bible took him three and a half years to finish. He directed over six-hundred actors and actresses as well as orchestras and choral singers. He played a small segment of the audio Bible that is used for promotion. In the audio Bible there is music and sound effects for some sections. The audio Bible is the King James Version and JoBe worked with theologians for translations, pronunciations, and even understanding the Bible. He said that one of the coolest things that happened was that the actors and actresses would ask about things in the Bible and they could all learn together. He saw a change in the faith of the actors and actresses and people even started calling him because they wanted to be a part of the audio Bible. JoBe took many questions after his little speech about the audio Bible. From the questions, he mentioned how his wife actually came up with the idea for the audio Bible and they had no money to start the project with so they just started with the New Testament first. JoBe said that his audio Bible is the first Bible to win Christian book of the year. There were many questions and the convocation ended with his promotion of the audio Bible being sold in the Concordia University book store.

JoBe combined two things that he was passionate about together into one project. JoBe is a director and producer and is also a Christian. He has combined used what he has felt called to do to spread the Gospel in a new unique way. He even spread the Gospel while working on the project with the actors and actresses. JoBe also incorporated faith and learning into his project. While the actors and actresses learned and worked on the acting of the audio Bible, they also learned about the Bible and grew in their own faith. JoBe has combined his passions into his vocation of this project.

At first, I thought the audio Bible would be really cool and inspiring. I listened to the promotion part of the Bible and I heard all the sound effects and music which distracted me from the words of the Bible. I then thought that the sound effects and music added with the spoken words were all interpretation on JoBe's part. He said that he did not add any music or sound effects that were not suggested by the text, but he also said that there was highly dramatic music to highlight certain parts of the Bible. I question whether or not it is "right" to add this interpretation of the Bible or even to highlight things in the Bible to make people listen to those parts. I then thought back to the time I was in high school. I would have thought an audio Bible with all these sound effects would be pretty cool and would probably make me more interested in going through the Bible. However, JoBe did say some other things that I did not agree with. He said that one of the motivations for the audio Bible was that people hear the scripture in church over and over, and it starts to loose meaning and impact. Again I can see his point if I was back in my high school years and less educated. I have learned in class that the Bible is God's inspired Word and it is not our job or our doing to make people listen or pay attention. It is the Holy Spirit that works through the Word and in us as human beings. JoBe also seemed to talk around people's questions. Some questions were answered very well but when it came for questions more on the theological side, he never really answered the question. I think that his work is great and it took him a long time to accomplish but he seems to be at a level that does not strive for meaning and understanding in the Bible but for promotion and interest. I believe that more needs to be done to go deeper into the Bible and one's own faith. This audio Bible strives to interest people in the Bible when I think progress needs to be made in growing deeper in the faith and not staying at a high school level of learning.

A Caucus Race!

2012-02-15T21:45:08Z

Tuesday February 7^th 2012, I attended the Republican political caucus at Four Seasons Elementary School. I had never been to a caucus before and I had never even heard of a caucus. At the school, the Honors Program students were greeted by some Republican volunteers. The volunteers helped with the sign-in of registered voters and a voting issue for the area. One lady came to talk to us before the caucus began. We said we had never been to a caucus before, so she explained what a caucus was and then she started talking about some issues and her personal views on the presidential elections. When the caucus began, we all gathered in the gymnasium of the school and heard four people talk about the four different candidates for the Republican Party for the presidential election. Then the main speaker talked about how everyone was going to divide into different rooms according to their district and precinct. There was confusion as to where to go for this part of the caucus so I noticed that Katie Benke had come to the caucus and went over and asked her what was going on. She told me what district we were in and told me that I could follow her to the right room. In the room everyone grabbed a chair and we sat in a circle. Other than the people from the Honors Program there were only about ten people. There was an older woman who led the meeting and discussion. First the woman facilitated everyone in nominating a chair, vice chair, and other positions for the precinct. Then they all voted on the candidate they wanted Minnesota to represent for the presidential election. Leah and Gina were the tellers since they could not vote because they are not registered voters of the area. Then the woman asked if there were any issues that needed to be addressed or discussed. Katie Benke brought up the issue of gambling. Katie thought that this issue should be brought to voting because it states that gambling is not allowed but she said it should not be mentioned as allowed or not allowed. She made an argument on how gambling could be good to raise money for things like building a new stadium. She also mentioned that there is a state lottery and that is like gambling. This issue was discussed for a long time but no real conclusion was made so they decided to mention it to the rest of the political party. After the discussion was over the caucus was dismissed and ended.

The caucuses are very important to the presidential election because they decided who will represent the precinct at the Republican Convention, that will decide who the Republican candidate for President will be. The President has the job of making decisions on behalf of the country. These issues are very widespread and do not just focus on the government but many aspects of life for Americans. This reminds me of the Honors Program and how it uses interdisciplinary learning which covers many subjects of study that relate to each other. The President deals with interdisciplinary areas in the job of being the head of the country. The President also serves in a service role because the position acts on behalf of the country. People vote the President into power to represent their beliefs and ideas for the country. The President serves the United States of America.

When I was on the way to the caucus, all I could think about when I heard the word "caucus" was a caucus race in the movie Alice in Wonderland. In the movie, Alice joins the company of a rat and others after she almost drowns in her own tears. They tell Alice the best way to get dry is to have a caucus race. I thought about this later after I had experienced the caucus and actually knew what it was. Even though the idea of the caucus race was a really weird way to get dry, it worked because it took Alice's mind off of being wet and eventually she dried off. I thought the caucus was really weird at first as well, but as it progressed I realized how important it was. I felt like I was really uninformed about issues that happen in our country-- and even in the area that I live. Part of that is due to me being a busy college student, but I realized that I want to try to be more informed- at least- about the presidential election and the major issues surrounding it. I thought the caucus was just going to talk about each Republican candidate but it dealt a lot more with current issues. Similar to Alice, my mind was opened to a new perspective.

Vocation: Call It What You Will

2012-02-11T05:50:43Z

The readings for this week from Callings: Twenty Centuries of Christian Wisdom on Vocation came from the time period of the early church after 313 A.D. At this time Emperor Constantine was ruler of the empire and it became acceptable to be a Christian. Christianity became the official religion in the late 4th century. Once Christianity was allowed, Christians began to wonder if being a Christian could be so easy. The readings focused on Christians who thought about the question of how being a Christian could be so easy. The people in the readings were monastics who lived a solitary life, renounced worldly pursuits, and devoted themselves to spiritual work. These people pushed themselves out of the norm of regular Christian lives to fulfill a higher spiritual calling.

The readings are relevant to the issues of Christian vocation and service today because even today people are called to give up worldly pursuits for their vocation. Some people are called to give up certain belongings or treasures to take a job. Others be missionaries and have to travel away from friends and family. People make sacrifices or live in solitude for the sake of the vocation. On the other hand, I do not think the readings relate to vocation and service today. I think that people do not put themselves in situations where they give up almost everything for spiritual work and devotion. I think that the people had very radical lives and even though people have radical lives today, it is different for people today. I do not hear of Christians going off and having solitary lives devoted to spiritual work.

My project agency reminds me of how some people have made big sacrifices to move forward in life. I work with ex-convicts and people who have felonies. Life is hard for them after being released from jail because they are denied work and places to live because of their felonies. Many of the people want to change their life around and find a job to start fresh out of jail. However, there are barriers and sacrifices that they have to make because they have felonies on their record. These readings also reminded me of myself and how I enjoy thinking critically and deeply. I like questioning things in life like Augustine. I think that one of my "callings" is to naturally question things and think about life.

Concordia Athletes Recognized

2012-01-25T21:54:34Z

On Friday January 20 in the Gangelhoff Center, The Concordia Golden Bears played the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragons in basketball. The women's basketball game started at six o'clock on the Friday evening. This was the first home game for the basketball team since January third and the first home game since all the students had returned on campus. Concordia women's basketball team was sitting in tenth place in the NSIC and one game behind St. Cloud State. The game started quickly and both teams seemed evenly matched. However, Concordia then fell behind by about twenty points. By the end of the first period, the score was thirty-nine to twenty-two with the MSU Moorhead Dragons in the lead. The second period continued like the first period. Concordia remained at about a twenty point disadvantage the whole game. With five minutes left in the game the women's basketball team started to make a comeback. Concordia made a very good last effort to catch up to MSU Moorhead. Unfortunately the Golden Bears was unable to win against the Dragons as they fell seventy-seven to sixty-five. After the game, the court was set for the presentation of the women's volleyball National Championship banner. The lights went out and some fireworks were displayed as all the girls on the volleyball team were called out. The team and the coaches were congratulated by President Ries. Then the team gathered around to reveal the banner for their fifth National Championship in a row.

The basketball game and the unveiling of the volleyball championship banner both relate to the topic of Christian vocation. Vocation does not only mean job. Christian vocation can also be talents or gifts that God has given someone to use. The women on the basketball team have a passion and talent for playing basketball. The women on the volleyball team also have passion and talent, but for playing volleyball. All the players have been blessed with athletic ability to use in different ways. This does not mean the women have to go on to be professional athletes, but they use their talent now as a part of their Christian vocation. Also by playing on the team, they are supporting Concordia as a Lutheran University.

I was at the game to support the athletes. I learned that I do not have the same athletic gifts as the women who are on the basketball and volleyball teams. God has blessed everyone with their own gifts and passions. I also think it is important to support others with their talents and passions. Supporting the athletes is important, even when they lose, because I support their gifts that they should continue to use.

Amicus - Real Change Starts on the Inside

2012-01-21T05:47:39Z

Amicus has been a Minnesota not-for-profit organization for over forty-four years. Amicus works to improve public safety by helping inmates and ex-offenders through positive relationship-building, restorative justice practices and individualized transition services. Amicus has multiple programs that help inmates and ex-offenders reshape their lives, reach their goals, and make successful transitions from prison into the community. "Amicus" is the Latin word for "friend," so all of the programs are relationship-based, community-driven, culturally specific and outcome-oriented. The mission of Amicus is to partner with inmates, ex-offenders, juvenile offenders, at risk youth and communities to build successful lives and stronger communities. The program called RECONNECT is an information and referral service especially for ex-offenders. There are many challenges that come with being an ex-offender because they have to start a new life out of jail. The RECONNECT program offers help with shelter and housing, employment, identification, education, aftercare programs, clothing, family services, single-parent resources, food shelves, furniture, and other services.

I chose this agency for my service learning project mainly because I wanted have a new experience. I have never worked with ex-felons or inmates so I wanted to try something new that would be out of my comfort zone. I thought it would be exciting to have the opportunity to work with ex-felons and inmates because I could talk to them and get a new perspective on life. I am looking forward to hearing about the difficulties that come with being an ex-felon and inmates.

I expect to learn more about the criminal justice system and the problems that come with being an ex-felon or inmate. I hope to provide positive relationships for the individuals seeking services. These relationships will provide a basis to learn the views and beliefs of these individuals. Many individuals seeking re-entry will feel inadequate to return to society. Some will feel overly guilty and will not be able to stop blaming themselves. This will provide for individual viewpoints and perspectives to be heard which will provide new knowledge for future relationships with similar perspectives.