All of the following statements are true:
1. I am entirely sick of college.
2. I love college.
3. I am so ready to graduate.
4. I love what I'm studying.
5. My professors make me so angry and annoyed that I've threatened to change my major numerous times during the course of this semester.
6. My professors are like extra parents who genuinely care about my well-being and want to see me succeed; I love them for this.
7. The semesters seem to get shorter every year.
8.This semester has plodded along at a painfully slow rate.
9. I am ashamedly addicted to Facebook.
10. Facebook is overrated, and the obnoxious applications make me want to throw my computer across the room.
11. I go home a week from tomorrow!
12/10/2009
10/04/2009
Soccer and Moral Relativism
It's amazing to me how much soccer can teach one about life.
Teamwork, check. Encouragement, check. Humility, check. Moral relativism, check.
Wait. What?
Yes. Moral relativism.
I was watching the men's team play last Tuesday. It was pouring rain--sideways. The wind was horrendous, constantly catching the ball and throwing it around with the rain. Teeth were chattering, umbrellas were nearly pointless, and everything was soggy. I was standing at the top of the bleachers with Dave as he videotaped the game for the team. The actions visible from above were so different than those visible from eye level.
The referees made several bad calls (mostly off sides) that really frustrated me. Granted, I had a much better view of the field than they did. Nonetheless, I was still annoyed that I, the yell-and-scream-even-if-you-have-no-idea-what's-happening fan that I am, still saw things when the refs didn't.
Roberts was winning 5-0 with about ten or fifteen minutes left in the game. Something happened--I'm not exactly sure what it's called--but one of our guys was tripped/tackled/inappropriately contacted by an opposing player. Whatever it was, it occurred just as the guy from our team was about to shoot. Dave told me that the offense should earn the other team's player a (red?) card, since he prevented a potential goal from being made.
With our guy on the ground and the ball out of bounds, the ref decided to call it a corner kick. I couldn't believe what the ref was doing (or not doing). Dave said, "They probably looked at the clock and decided that it didn't matter. Oh, well." I was furious. Just because our team was definitely winning the game and there were only ten minutes left on the clock, a foul didn't matter?
I didn't (and still don't) understand how soccer, of all things, could be so relative. I always thought a foul was a foul, no matter when it happened or who did it. Tuesday taught me otherwise. I am amazed at how our culture of moral relativism has seeped in to even the "fairest" things. Lying and cheating are not the only things that this relativity has invaded; it has seeped inside everything we know.
If it feels good, do it. If it makes someone feel better about themselves, lie to them. If you don't have time to do your homework because you were helping a neighbor, copy it from a friend. (Don't worry, you still did a nice thing to make up for cheating.) Seriously, friends, what are we doing?!
I'm as guilty of this as anyone...but I'm no longer going to tolerate it. And you know something? I don't care if you think that's judgmental or offensive or whatnot. Because you know what else? God doesn't give a rat's rumpus what you find offensive. He knows what's right--He created right!
As Christians (you know, little Christs), we need to stand up for absolute truth--God's Word. We will never interpret it perfectly. We will never preach it perfectly. We certainly will never live it perfectly. However, we can still put our fists down and declare that our Savior preached Truth, lived Truth, and is Truth.
God's truth is not truth that we feel or truth that can change from person to person. Instead, it is truth that is real and right and pure and that has remained for generations. It is absolute. Let's allow it to be the standard in our lives instead of our feelings and our circumstances. Everyone could benefit if we were more absolute in our judgment of right and wrong...especially the men's soccer team.
Teamwork, check. Encouragement, check. Humility, check. Moral relativism, check.
Wait. What?
Yes. Moral relativism.
I was watching the men's team play last Tuesday. It was pouring rain--sideways. The wind was horrendous, constantly catching the ball and throwing it around with the rain. Teeth were chattering, umbrellas were nearly pointless, and everything was soggy. I was standing at the top of the bleachers with Dave as he videotaped the game for the team. The actions visible from above were so different than those visible from eye level.
The referees made several bad calls (mostly off sides) that really frustrated me. Granted, I had a much better view of the field than they did. Nonetheless, I was still annoyed that I, the yell-and-scream-even-if-you-have-no-idea-what's-happening fan that I am, still saw things when the refs didn't.
Roberts was winning 5-0 with about ten or fifteen minutes left in the game. Something happened--I'm not exactly sure what it's called--but one of our guys was tripped/tackled/inappropriately contacted by an opposing player. Whatever it was, it occurred just as the guy from our team was about to shoot. Dave told me that the offense should earn the other team's player a (red?) card, since he prevented a potential goal from being made.
With our guy on the ground and the ball out of bounds, the ref decided to call it a corner kick. I couldn't believe what the ref was doing (or not doing). Dave said, "They probably looked at the clock and decided that it didn't matter. Oh, well." I was furious. Just because our team was definitely winning the game and there were only ten minutes left on the clock, a foul didn't matter?
I didn't (and still don't) understand how soccer, of all things, could be so relative. I always thought a foul was a foul, no matter when it happened or who did it. Tuesday taught me otherwise. I am amazed at how our culture of moral relativism has seeped in to even the "fairest" things. Lying and cheating are not the only things that this relativity has invaded; it has seeped inside everything we know.
If it feels good, do it. If it makes someone feel better about themselves, lie to them. If you don't have time to do your homework because you were helping a neighbor, copy it from a friend. (Don't worry, you still did a nice thing to make up for cheating.) Seriously, friends, what are we doing?!
I'm as guilty of this as anyone...but I'm no longer going to tolerate it. And you know something? I don't care if you think that's judgmental or offensive or whatnot. Because you know what else? God doesn't give a rat's rumpus what you find offensive. He knows what's right--He created right!
As Christians (you know, little Christs), we need to stand up for absolute truth--God's Word. We will never interpret it perfectly. We will never preach it perfectly. We certainly will never live it perfectly. However, we can still put our fists down and declare that our Savior preached Truth, lived Truth, and is Truth.
God's truth is not truth that we feel or truth that can change from person to person. Instead, it is truth that is real and right and pure and that has remained for generations. It is absolute. Let's allow it to be the standard in our lives instead of our feelings and our circumstances. Everyone could benefit if we were more absolute in our judgment of right and wrong...especially the men's soccer team.
9/06/2009
Wisdom.
I've been thinking about wisdom since Tuesday.
That's right, Tuesday. Because it was Dr. Roll who first prayed for it.
I know, I know. I cannot help but love the man. At the beginning of a class that I'm not even supposed to be taking right now he prayed that God would give us wisdom in the decisions we make. Well, that just whacked me pretty square upside the head.
It's not that I'd never heard of praying for wisdom. In fact, I've done it before...kind of. Let me explain.
You see, I'm a bit of a control freak. (This sounds like an old post....) And you know what control freaks do (besides...control)? We think we know it all. Decisions are made by weighing the options and logically choosing which is best. There's no praying involved, and certainly not praying to ask someone else to help us decide. After all, we control freaks know everything.
Suffice it to say, my idea of praying for wisdom was always something along the lines of, "God, I want to do what's right. Help me, in my own strength, make the decision that is going to best suit my needs." Do you see the selfishness there? Praying was all about me.
Praying for wisdom is exactly the opposite. Praying for wisdom forces me to stop thinking about my freaking self by admitting, hey, I can't do this on my own. Because the truth is I don't know it all. Not only do I not know it all, but I know barely anything. (My mom would have loved to hear me admit that as a ten-year-old. This notion of I don't know it all really could've helped me out back then.) When I finally decided to pray for wisdom, this wonderful thing called humility came with it. Okay, so at first it wasn't wonderful. But I like the word more now than I did a week ago.
Humility is tough for me, for obvious reasons. After all, didn't you know that knowing everything and being in charge of everything also makes you the best at everything? Ha! I think God must have been rolling around on His (soft, plush) gold carpet laughing at me for the last nineteen years.
Bringing myself to that place of asking for wisdom (because I don't know all the answers and because I'm not the best) was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. But will I continue to do it? You betcha. Who would have thought that Dr. Roll would say something (completely unrelated to science) so profound (and yet so simple) that I would blog about it (and continue to think about it) nearly a week later? Ha! I think God's getting a good laugh out of that one, too.
Lesson Number 2: God speaks through those whom you least expect Him to. But that's for another day....
That's right, Tuesday. Because it was Dr. Roll who first prayed for it.
I know, I know. I cannot help but love the man. At the beginning of a class that I'm not even supposed to be taking right now he prayed that God would give us wisdom in the decisions we make. Well, that just whacked me pretty square upside the head.
It's not that I'd never heard of praying for wisdom. In fact, I've done it before...kind of. Let me explain.
You see, I'm a bit of a control freak. (This sounds like an old post....) And you know what control freaks do (besides...control)? We think we know it all. Decisions are made by weighing the options and logically choosing which is best. There's no praying involved, and certainly not praying to ask someone else to help us decide. After all, we control freaks know everything.
Suffice it to say, my idea of praying for wisdom was always something along the lines of, "God, I want to do what's right. Help me, in my own strength, make the decision that is going to best suit my needs." Do you see the selfishness there? Praying was all about me.
Praying for wisdom is exactly the opposite. Praying for wisdom forces me to stop thinking about my freaking self by admitting, hey, I can't do this on my own. Because the truth is I don't know it all. Not only do I not know it all, but I know barely anything. (My mom would have loved to hear me admit that as a ten-year-old. This notion of I don't know it all really could've helped me out back then.) When I finally decided to pray for wisdom, this wonderful thing called humility came with it. Okay, so at first it wasn't wonderful. But I like the word more now than I did a week ago.
Humility is tough for me, for obvious reasons. After all, didn't you know that knowing everything and being in charge of everything also makes you the best at everything? Ha! I think God must have been rolling around on His (soft, plush) gold carpet laughing at me for the last nineteen years.
Bringing myself to that place of asking for wisdom (because I don't know all the answers and because I'm not the best) was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. But will I continue to do it? You betcha. Who would have thought that Dr. Roll would say something (completely unrelated to science) so profound (and yet so simple) that I would blog about it (and continue to think about it) nearly a week later? Ha! I think God's getting a good laugh out of that one, too.
Lesson Number 2: God speaks through those whom you least expect Him to. But that's for another day....
9/03/2009
Schedule.
Good golly, what a week it has been! Here's my week in a nutshell and incomplete sentences.
Monday:
8am - Physiology with Dr. LaCelle. Only...he didn't show up on Monday. His electricity went out overnight, so he got up an hour late.
9am - Recreational Games. Since two of my dear friends are in class with me, it's more of a time to relax and laugh.
10am - Back to the dorm to shower and make myself look presentable. Let's face it, waking up at 7:30 for an 8 o'clock class doesn't leave time to do much other than brush teeth, throw on a clean shirt, and grab coffee.
11am - Chapel. New scanner thingies were used for the first time. President Martin told us the history of RWC and even managed to sneak in a "scholarship, service, spiritual formation" plug.
12pm - Intro to Music. Great class, even though I briefly fell asleep the first day. Whoopsies.
1pm - Biochem lab with Dr. Roll. RT-PCR. Though all of us have done it at some point, it still required about 45 minutes of explanation.
Tuesday:
8am - Biochem...enough said.
9:25am - Introduce myself to the BIO 101 class. Tell them their options for getting help from me, collect surveys, and leave.
12:15pm - Personal Economics. Let's put it this way: we have no tests, no quizzes, and no final.
1:40pm - Physiology lab. Dr. LaCelle showed up 10 minutes late WITHOUT a Diet Coke.
7pm - Intro to the Health Professions. One word: FRESHMEN.
8pm - Foot meeting. God has some good stuff in store for this year!
Wednesday:
8am - Physiology. Dr. LaCelle came in 10 minutes late with a Mountain Dew instead of a Diet Coke (because the machine spat out the wrong one). Homeostasis.
9am - Recreational Games. Laughter, dice, scribbling down words and letters as quickly as possible.
10am - Back to the dorm to shower.
11am - Skipped Convocation. Some librarian was speaking. Freshmen flocked.
12pm - Intro to Music. Played with rhythm and time signatures. Reminds me of my first year or so of piano lessons way back in the day.
1pm - Biochem lab. Dr. Roll did all the work while we stood around and watched. All I did was pipette a total of 4 microliters of my DNA solution into 2 wells. RT-PCR fail.
5:30pm - North Campus BBQ! Circled up with some housemates.
8pm - Tie-dyed with the whole house! Our shirts look fantastic. Marlise accidentally bought kids' size M shirts, so we had some good laughs after I attempted to stretch one out.
Thursday:
8am - Biochem. Not gonna lie, I dozed quite a bit. I didn't wake up in time for my coffee. Rawr.
9:25am - Read for Personal Ec.
12:15pm - Personal Ec. Worked with Linny to do our in-class homework. What an oxymoron.
1:30pm - Biochem homework. If only I could understand the whole buffer thing.
7:30pm - Leading a class meeting. I'd like to have 10 people there. Ha! We'll see how it goes.
Who knows what's in store for tomorrow! My only class is Physiology at 8am, so hopefully I'll get a bunch of homework done so I can enjoy some free time this weekend. A doctor's appointment at 2:15, a quick trip to Walmart to get some much-needed snack food, tutor training, and a cookout at JT and Becka's will likely consume the rest of my afternoon. Oh, college. Someday I'll miss you.
8/31/2009
Okay.
Sometimes, it's okay to be scared.
It's okay to have no idea where life is taking you. I woke up numerous times throughout the night last night--thinking, hoping, dreaming--freaking out. The ironic thing is that I know where I'm going. Okay, not exactly, but I love what I'm studying and I love the career path that I'm heading towards. I have best friends and close friends and acquaintances and everything in between. My relationship with Jesus Christ is growing deeper each day as I'm challenged to live a life of purity and integrity.
Life is good.
So why be scared? Because life is constantly changing. The ebbs and flows of life keep me on my toes, keep me thinking, keep me desiring more, keep me challenged, keep me questioning, keep me hoping and praying and loving and talking and dreaming. They keep me in a world of the unknown, despite plans and goals and dreams.
But the ebbs and flows of life are ordained by God, and He has it all under control. And that, dear friends, is what is so scary. I am not in control of my life. Of course, I make numerous decisions each day, for better or for worse. However, ultimately, I'm only second in command. And while that scares me like nothing else in this world, it's okay. God has everything under control.
So even though I'm a bit freaked about starting my junior year of college and applying to grad school and passing biochem and keeping up with friends and living with integrity...it's okay.
One thing I've learned recently is that more than anything else, God just wants me to trust Him. He sees the big picture, and He knows what I'm feeling even when I cannot explain it to myself. He is worshiped and honored when He is allowed to move as He wants to within my life. A life that is wholly surrendered is a life full of passionate worship to its Creator.
God is more deserving of my worship than anyone else in the universe. The sacrifices that He made as Father and Jesus made as Son simply exceeds what I can comprehend. I suppose that's beauty of grace. But anyway.
Trusting God to be my strength, my joy, my life always means that things come out the right way in the end, even if the right way isn't my way. When He is allowed to work where He belongs (in the middle of it all, leading the way), I am bringing Him glory. If God is worshiped and loved and adored when I completely lose control and let Him live through me, then being scared is okay.
It's okay to have no idea where life is taking you. I woke up numerous times throughout the night last night--thinking, hoping, dreaming--freaking out. The ironic thing is that I know where I'm going. Okay, not exactly, but I love what I'm studying and I love the career path that I'm heading towards. I have best friends and close friends and acquaintances and everything in between. My relationship with Jesus Christ is growing deeper each day as I'm challenged to live a life of purity and integrity.
Life is good.
So why be scared? Because life is constantly changing. The ebbs and flows of life keep me on my toes, keep me thinking, keep me desiring more, keep me challenged, keep me questioning, keep me hoping and praying and loving and talking and dreaming. They keep me in a world of the unknown, despite plans and goals and dreams.
But the ebbs and flows of life are ordained by God, and He has it all under control. And that, dear friends, is what is so scary. I am not in control of my life. Of course, I make numerous decisions each day, for better or for worse. However, ultimately, I'm only second in command. And while that scares me like nothing else in this world, it's okay. God has everything under control.
So even though I'm a bit freaked about starting my junior year of college and applying to grad school and passing biochem and keeping up with friends and living with integrity...it's okay.
One thing I've learned recently is that more than anything else, God just wants me to trust Him. He sees the big picture, and He knows what I'm feeling even when I cannot explain it to myself. He is worshiped and honored when He is allowed to move as He wants to within my life. A life that is wholly surrendered is a life full of passionate worship to its Creator.
God is more deserving of my worship than anyone else in the universe. The sacrifices that He made as Father and Jesus made as Son simply exceeds what I can comprehend. I suppose that's beauty of grace. But anyway.
Trusting God to be my strength, my joy, my life always means that things come out the right way in the end, even if the right way isn't my way. When He is allowed to work where He belongs (in the middle of it all, leading the way), I am bringing Him glory. If God is worshiped and loved and adored when I completely lose control and let Him live through me, then being scared is okay.
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