Learning to Sit Still

What I learned from my first year teaching...

2011-07-08T21:22:00.002-04:00

After completing my first year of teaching I was tempted to write immediately everything that came to my mind so as to capture the emotions, feelings, thoughts, and so forth that accompany the end of such a life-changing experience. Two immediate things hindered the process. First I left for a week in Washington D.C. to celebrate the end of the school year/the 4th of July/hang out with lots of Hillsdale friends. Second I recognized that I needed time to sit and think about the end of the year… to let it all sink in, and consider what things I learned and how I learned them. What follows is certainly not an exhaustive list but rather a summary of the most prominent things I learned from one year, my first year of teaching, at an urban charter school, roughly five miles outside Boston, Massachusetts.

Comments from friends who are either already teachers, or who also just completed their first year of teaching are welcome. I would love to hear feedback and comparisons. If you are considering teaching at this time, your feedback is also welcome. Although this post reflects my own experience, I would say that I found very little during my first year that many other teachers at various types of schools and situations also found to be true.

1. Teaching is a rewarding experience. For my job I get to teach 7th graders American History, which many of you know is the time period that interests me most. My students are generally around 12-13 years of age and are just beginning to develop critical thinking and reasoning skills. There is much about teaching that is rewarding… from the student or the class who comprehends a difficult concept, to the student who shows either drastic or steady academic improvement. Also rewarding are the small displays of appreciation and affection kids show you. Whether it is a kind word, a picture, or some other random sign that your students appreciate you and your efforts, your students will be the ones who will drive you to do your very best each day.

2. Teaching shows you how little you know about your content. Admittedly as a mere recent undergraduate I know very little about the actual subject matter even if I did receive a great education and studied American History very closely at Hillsdale. Countless times this year did I have to go back and do my own research, both for my lesson plans, and to respond to student questions/points posed inside and outside class. I can see how as a teacher, you never really stop learning your own content. At the same time, I received good advice which reminded me to always fall back on my content, for when teaching became difficult, I could always rely on the thing that I knew how to do very well.

3. Teaching is a humbling experience, personally the most humbling of my entire life. I remember being humbled often at Hillsdale by the character and intelligence of professors and peers around me. Teaching provided a slightly different kind of humbling experience in that I had to come face to face with my insufficiencies and weaknesses each day. I know my own weaknesses, but very few jobs make them so transparent to yourself and your students. My students appreciated and recognized when I was honest with them, when I had felt I had made a mistake or handled or situation wrongly, or when I asked for their extra patience during a more difficult day/week. With that said, make an effort to connect with your students. I connected with one of my more difficult students with a one-on-one game of basketball over lunch. It did not solve all our problems, but it did allow us to have a workable relationship. If you connect with your students, you will win with them. The words of my principal stuck with me this year. Whereas in most occupations you might be able to hide in your cubicle or workshop for the day, teaching requires you to go out and put on your best face for your 119 students, even if it is the last thing you feel like doing.

4. Teaching is a physically, emotionally, and mentally draining experience. In my limited lifetime I have experienced the five day academic week and the five day work week. Neither has been half as training as the five day school week. Each day is the same cycle of early morning, long school day, and then home to GRADE and LESSON PLAN for the next day, before finally collapsing into bed only to do it all over again in a few hours. Not to mention the actual work day itself filled with 7th graders from beginning to end. My free periods were my life saver, but all that aside I consistently worked 10 hour days and then came home to another 2-4 hours of work each night. Teachers have lots of paperwork, and I also had a home room this year which is another 2 hours a day with my students in addition to teaching history. I also tend to work hard to invest myself in others, which I learned was a trait many good, effective teachers have. This also has a downside of being especially tiring especially during the long days and the long school year begins to wear down on both teachers and students.

5. Teaching involves discipline. Establishing yourself as a person of authority is vital to maintaining oneself as an effective teacher. This was an important line for me to draw as I tend to focus on building relationships with my students over being their authority figure. But this was a necessary line for me to learn and continue to learn. Learning to become a firm but fair disciplinarian inside and outside the classroom gives students a clear expectation of what their behavior should be. I learned the importance of consistency because students will 100% of the time notice when teachers are not being consistent about when and what rules they enforce. I learned to set CLEAR and HIGH behavioral expectations so when students did not meet such expectations, they could not blame my lack of clarity nor that I did not care how they acted. I learned that the saying “What you permit, you promote” is entirely true, so by being a proactive teacher in how I presented my own example my students, I could also demand their adherence to the rules. I learned, especially for my age group, to take the time to “have it out” with a student. Maybe I would have an exhausting 45 minute conversation with one of my students who was having a difficult time following directions/rules. I learned it is fine to reason with the kids and try to get them to see my viewpoint as a teacher. I learned to not take things personally when they acted out, made bad decisions, or expressed their dislike of me. Kids are kids and they make mistakes. In general, they are also forgiving and do a good job starting the next day over as if nothing happened. This year I learned the importance of being calm but always quick to react, strict but never mean, firm but never rude, and patiently always willing to forgive while still enforcing consequences.

6. Teaching is an art. The beauty of managing a classroom is as fine a skill as anything else in the world to obtain. It is very difficult to manage a class of 30 students at different levels, perspectives, backgrounds, needs, strengths, weaknesses, etc and doing so effectively was a steep learning curve. I felt like I learned more about classroom management each day and I definitely became stronger and more comfortable as the year progressed. Conveying the content in an enjoyable, understandable, and challenging way was a difficult assignment. Even though I had four sections of the same class, each section was drastically different and each section had differences within the section itself. Fundamentally, I had to learn how to be an effective teacher both in managing the behavior and actions of my students, and in ensuring they understood the content at the best level possible.

7. Teaching gives you a very good understanding of human nature. In children you can see both the good and bad aspects of human nature. On the positive side, you can see the mind open to the power of education, the power of reason, the taking up of responsibility, the virtuous treatment of others, and the willingness to serve and grow as a human. But you can also see the negative aspects of our nature, the desire to avoid responsibility, to seek our own gain at the expense of others, to reject authority, and to treat others in a dehumanizing way. Unfortunately, 13 year olds tend to be very much influenced by the pleasure-seeking/anti-responsibility traits of modern American society. To fight against these trends, the job of parents and teachers becomes that much more difficult.

8. Teaching shows you the importance of good families. I consider it a blessing to teach at a fairly large, urban charter school. I love having classrooms full of all races, colors, ethnicities, religions, income levels, abilities, etc. If there was one trait, however, that was most apparent, it was which students came from stable families. It did not matter their religion, political affiliation, ethnic background, or even honestly their sexuality. Generally speaking, two parent homes active in their child’s school life led to well-behaved, smart, and relatively mature 13 year olds. In almost every case, the students we had the most difficulty with came from rough family lives. It was almost too easy to discern which students did not have at least one parent at home (almost always a FATHER). For the most part, my experience with parents was positive. Parents who supported the schools and the teachers and who realized their role in their child’s education made our job easier with the results being mostly positive for their own families. The results were almost entirely opposite if the situation at home was not as positive or stable.

9. Teaching and education in general, is misunderstood. Education has unfortunately become a politicized issue which means that neither the right nor the left is close to actually dealing with the problems in America’s education system. I am a strong believer that education, even public education, can be reformed and redirected to improve the health of our society. To do so, we need to reevaluate our ways of thinking and pursue solutions in the classroom that work. No school system or method of schooling is perfect. Just as my own school has its short comings and deficiencies, I am confident that other teachers in other districts and types of schools could also note the faults in their own systems. What matters is that people work to find solutions and answers that might serve to improve; we must strive to get better if we ever want to be better. Whereas the left goes too far in making education a special interest, specifically through their obnoxious support of teacher unions, the right makes a critical error in either refusing to support public education or remaining unsure of how to go about it. Because of the right’s trepidation with words like “centralization,” it misses the opportunity to support the work of former mayor Adrian Fenty’s work in Washington D.C. Yes he centralized the schools under a chancellor, but he also turned around the entire city’s public school system by implementing many key “conservative” principles. Our society is also so utilitarian that we have forgotten to treasure and value education as much as it deserves to be. Both the right and the left share blame for this if we look at it from a historical perspective. It is also worth noting that many people consider teaching a “stepping stool” or something temporary to do if you don’t find anything else better. More than one friend of mine has whined that “I get summers off” thus making teaching the easiest job ever naturally. Good teachers should be incentivized and rewarded to stay good teachers. More often than not, good teachers leave teaching because they can make more money elsewhere. Other good teachers leave or become bad teachers because the system is seriously broken. Also we need to rethink how we view the teaching profession. Rather than consider teaching a sort of “leftover” job to be pursued when there are no other options, we should encourage our nation’s finest and best to consider a career of service and sacrifice. The first step to fixing the system is to first bring in good teachers, then, to keep and maintain them.

10. Teaching is a really serious thing to do. I have a lot of quick advice… Be passionate. Throw yourself into it. Enjoy it and have fun. Be firm in your expectations. Love your students. Teaching is definitely not for everyone but it can be a rewarding thing for a wide variety of people and personalities. Take it seriously and learn from the job. It will certainly give you a lot to think about.
P.S. And I do very much plan to enjoy my summer vacation… although I am excited for next year too!

Almost there...

2011-06-24T20:56:00.002-04:00

I'm a half day away from finishing my first year of teaching. 200 school days later I feel like I'm finally growing up...

I am looking forward to a busy but restful summer. I get the feeling it will go too quickly although I will be ready to get back to the classroom when it is time...

Happy New Year!

2011-01-17T12:35:00.001-05:00

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and because it is a federal holiday, we also enjoy a day off of school. Although the day off is appreciated, it does follow last week which featured not only a half day for professional development, but also a snow day! Snow is in the forecast tomorrow and you can bet that very few teachers are hoping for another day off. With midterms beginning on Wednesday, a delay in the schedule would only throw things into a chaotic state of confusion and disarray. Regardless, it is nice to enjoy a day off and catch up on some grading, lesson planning, and a little bit of studying for my first of two tests I need to pass in order to be a teacher in Massachusetts. This coming test is on Saturday and should not be too difficult... the one in March I am dreading already... But we take it one day at a time and I refuse to let it worry me now...

Since returning to Boston, my housemates and I have enjoyed the company of visitors. After a week with my cousin, Tom Sawyer also came out for a week leaving yesterday. We also met up with James Wegmann who rode the train up to Boston from the nation's capital on a "spur of the moment" trip. I am also looking forward to a visit from Nichole in about a week and a half...

The New Year brings two major resolutions: Survive my first year teaching and successfully file my taxes online by myself. I am actually more worried about the second one. I already look forward to warmer weather and lower heating bills. Walking around Boston yesterday reminded me how much I do love living here and how beautiful the city can be, even in the middle of winter.

Time to go back to lesson planning... Louisiana Purchase here I come!

Thankful for a reminder...

2010-11-21T16:58:00.001-05:00

Sometimes I seem to get lucky... or fortunate... the Calvinist in me suggests that the powerful hand of providence hits me in the face! But every once in a while I will stumble on something... generally an idea or a reading... that will reignite a powerful message of something I have previously learned and considered. Kiernan provides the welcome gift this time through her delightful and insightful blog post on John Henry Newman's Fifth Discourse from The Idea of a University. Like Kiernan, I too was obsessing over the real purpose of liberal education during the spring semester of our junior year. Also like Kiernan, the rug was pull from beneath my feet with Newman's answer and exposition as to what "knowledge for it's own sake" truly means. I have come to despise the way our modern minds think of education. This is a disease that can hardly be blamed on my soulless, utilitarian seventh graders. Proponents of vocational, useful, and efficient education seem to have won the cultural battle over the definition and purpose of education. For now I guess this makes me more determined to present a different perspective regardless of whether twelve year olds can grasp a different concept. Yet as for me, a good reminder of the purpose of liberal education and the development of a philosophic habit of mind was a welcome encouragement against the discouraging tide of utilitarianism in education. And yes, I still love my job for no matter how hard it has been, teaching the subject I love to great kids make each day an exciting and a rewarding challenge.

Additionally Kiernan and Julie's recent posts about their Hillsdale experiences were great reminders of my own experience at school. Settling into life post-Hillsdale, while not easy, has been smoother than expected. I miss the people even more than I thought I would and hope to see many of them sooner rather than later. But it is not like there is too big of a void post-Hillsdale. I am thankful for the new changes in my life including my job, Nichole, and a new church family. This will be the first time away from my family for the holiday season. For some of my Hillsdale friends, returning home for Thanksgiving and perhaps even Christmas, did not happen every year during college. I remember feeling bad for them considering that if I were in their position it would be a bit difficult not being with family. This year it is my turn to be away... I am certainly thankful for close friends in the area here to spend Thanksgiving with. But it will not be the same. Maybe that is ok... but still... it is a weird adjustment.

We have school Monday, Tuesday, and a half day on Wednesday this week. Break will be so wonderful indeed. A Blessed Thanksgiving to you all!

Done with church shopping... finally...?

2010-10-11T10:52:00.003-04:00

I think I have finally decided on a church. It is located in Cambridge which is awesome although my reasons for deciding on this particular church are more meaningful I hope. Gone are the days in which I had either a five minute drive or a five minute walk from church. It is important that I get plugged into a church, however, and that I find something other than work to throw my time and energy into.

Going to church in Cambridge will help ensure that I make it to downtown Boston at least once a week, which is a good thing. It is a beautiful city and every time I go downtown I am more convinced of it. After church I met Bethany for lunch here:

The breakfast burrito was delicious!

The long weekend has been good to catch up on rest and relaxation although the UM/MSU game on Saturday did not do anything for my blood pressure. I did go to the high school game on Friday night. Although we got killed by our opponents, it was fun to hang out with some of my students at the game. They also talked me into going to the 7th and 8th grade football game the follow morning which was fun because we won! Starting tomorrow we will push ourselves to Thanksgiving. I am starting to realize what 200 school days actually means. At this point I can barely stand to think about what it will be like come next June. But we take it one week at a time...

My new look...

2010-10-02T09:41:00.002-04:00

This is me as a teddy bear. Apparently, several students have named this infamous teddy bear after me. Now hopefully they do not blow it up...

Boston is finally starting to feel like home...

2010-09-26T23:45:00.002-04:00

It has been nearly two months since I moved to Boston. Time continues to fly. The school week is so compacted... it hardly ever seems like you leave because you are there for 10 hours a day and then you come home to work more on the things you failed to get done at school. But... as of now, I love it. Being a teacher has been great, especially because every day I feel a little more adjusted and comfortable in the classroom. Controlling a classroom has been the biggest learning experience. I wish we had smaller classes but the reality is that we do not. I am proud to say that I can now quiet my students down and get (mostly) their full attention for the majority of the class. Each day is different though and some days certain sections are better than others. Either way, I've learned to appreciate my students as fundamentally good kids who sometimes make poor choices. In that sense, they are no different than the rest of us...

On Saturday Ian and Bethany and I visited the Harpoon Brewery before wandering around the Boston Common and Public Garden on a beautiful unseasonably warm day. We continued our wandering to an awesome used book store. The city, for the first time, began to feel like home even though I do not know it as well as I want to someday. It will take time and more wandering I think before I really begin to feel comfortable. I like living in big cities but they do take their adjustments. All in all... a fantastic way to end the week and get ready for the next one.

Two Week Update!

2010-09-06T23:10:00.001-04:00

Two weeks have flown by. They tell me, just like they did at college that time only goes faster. That worries me as I look back to how quickly my time at Hillsdale went by. There is much to say and write but for the sake of time I will try and cover the big things.

I have 120 students in the seventh grade this year. As the only history teacher, I will see all 120 students every single day. For history and science they are divided into two sections of boys and two sections of girls. We give the four sections nicknames from the major Boston sports teams. The Bruins and the Celtics are the girls and the Red Sox and the Patriots are the boys. I am also a home room teacher which means from 8-8:25am, 30 of the students begin their day in my classroom. I take attendance, enter lunch counts, listen to announcements over the PA system, and have a 15 minute "Character Education" lesson. Character Education is required every single year at the school and varies by the grade. This year we work on virtues and organization. Students are given a planner that they need to fill out every week. They must also list their weekly goals and their parents must sign at the end of the week verifying their participation in their child's education. The top line of the planner is reserved for teacher use... more on that to come...

The rest of my day follows like this:

8:25-9:12am- Patriots History
9:14-9:59am- Celtics History
10:00-10:45am- Red Sox History

10:45-11:15am- Students return to their home rooms for recess... I would then monitor recess with the other 7th grade home room teachers if recess is outside. If recess is inside, I would monitor my home room.
11:15-11:45- Lunch in home rooms
11:45-1:00pm- Planning period

1:00-1:45pm Bruins History

Mondays and Wednesdays I monitor the late room from 3:30-4pmish for kids whose parents are late in picking them up
Tuesdays and Thursdays I monitor detention from 3:30-4:30pm

All in all my day is not bad. I enjoy my classes and my students. The Red Sox have proven to be the most difficult class to control. I am thankful to work in a school where structure and discipline are enforced. Students are first given a warning if they refuse to follow instructions. After the warning the teacher is allowed to request the student planner in which they would write down and sign the violation committed by the student. We call this an A-Plan. Because parents must sign their child's planner every week, this gives parents an opportunity to see how well their child is behaving. Three A-Plans in a week or five in a month is a visit to the principal's office. Some violations are automatic visits to the principal including disrespect or other behavioral problems. Some violations are automatic A-Plans including forgetting a book to class, chewing gum, or failing to turn in homework. The uniform policy is also enforced daily and students can be given an A-Plan and a letter to their parents if they fail to comply. For the boys it is a constant reminder to tuck their shirts in and wear belts. For girls... it is far more difficult. Skirts must be no more than two inches above the knee. If a teacher questions the length of the skirt, the girl is sent to the nurse's office for measurement. If her skirt is too short, the nurse gives her a pair of pants from the uniform bank. Uniform checks are randomly administered in home rooms but can be done whenever the student is at school. The uniform policy extends beyond clothing too. Shoes must be plain brown or black tennis or dress shoes. No hair dye, jewelry (girls can wear a pair of simple stud earrings with no design), or nail polish. Boys can wear shorts until October 1. Pants or skirts must be a plain khaki color. Tops are a burgundy polo. Undershirts must be white. Sweaters or pullovers must also be burgundy.

I was not sure how I felt about school uniforms before this year but in two weeks of teaching I am already sold. Because we are a charter school, we have both low and high income students. Labels are distracting and can often reveal which students are well off and which ones are not. Because labels are always forbidden this takes away a serious distraction from the classroom. The purpose of the uniforms is to avoid drawing negative attention to yourself. Students attention should be on academics, not on the clothes they are wearing. Although this seems like a little thing, you'd be surprised how many students attempt to push the limits. Teachers are constantly reminded to enforce the uniforms because if we give just a little bit of ground on the uniform policy, students might be tempted to push the limits in other areas as well.

For the most part, my students are great. Even the Red Sox have settled down some since the first week. It was somewhat of an adjustment for me to learn how to control a class. I was quickly thankful for both a school that uses discipline and rules and an administration that backed me up as a teacher 100%. When one of my students clearly disrespected me in front of other students, he was given an immediate one day in school suspension with no questions asked by the principal. The student also apologized for his disrespect. Although the system has its downfalls, Mystic Valley provides more structure than many public schools do. I cannot imagine teaching in a school district that would not employ a system of discipline. Any sort of control in the classroom would seem impossible, especially for 7th graders.

On the flip side, we encourage on a 4:1 positive to negative ratio at Mystic Valley. That means for every correction, we give four positive comments. This can be very difficult on some days, but it really works. Kids respond much better to positive comments. You can even use a correction as a positive for others. For example, if you praise a kid for sitting up straight and paying attention class, and then you notice the other kid next to him who was slouching suddenly straighten up because you praised the other kid, you should also praise the kid who straightened up. That way you never have to use a negative comment and you can give yourself another positive comment. This might sound crazy at first... but we have found that especially among younger kids, they respond to praise better than they do criticism. I have also found this attitude helpful in my interactions with others, even the guys around the house. It is better to praise and lift up than to tear down and criticize.

My seventh grade class is going very well. I am attempting to teach the history class differently than a bunch of names and dates and facts. Rather I am trying to get them to see History as a "story" of which they are major part. The majority of the readings are coming from primary sources... which is different than simply relying on textbooks and group projects. Some people wondered if this was too early for seventh graders. Thus far things are going well as I am consistently impressed by the intellect of my students. They turn in homework every night and have already been given two quizzes and a test. I feel that seventh graders need to be challenged and that if you set the bar high, you will at least see students trying to hit it. If you set the standard low, you probably won't get too much out of them. Our students are used to working hard and achieving wellI see no reason why I should not expect much out of my students and thus far they are not disappointing.

We are thankful to enjoy the Labor Day weekend which included no school on Labor Day. This weekend allowed me the chance to catch up on some lesson plans, grade some tests, and relax with Bethany, Ian, and Nathanael. Oh... and I also caught up on sleep too. The work weeks have been around 60-65 hours a week thus far... I am hoping that they reduce with time as I continue to learn more each day. I feel like I have learned more in two weeks than I have in a long time. Teaching is different than being a full time student, but in many ways it is the same. Thus I continue to be excited to see what the rest of the year will bring.

The night before...

2010-08-22T16:11:00.002-04:00

Finally the big day is almost here. Last week was pretty stressful.... because they finally let us out of orientation and training lectures and into the classroom. Then we realized how little we actually knew about the fine details of being a teacher. Paperwork, reports, standards, special education students, lunch counts, discipline... in other words the practical side of being a teacher. Although it was honestly overwhelming, things are better now, and we are as ready to go as we are going to get. This coming week will be a busy... and learning to be a teacher will be a sharp learning curve. I would be lying, however, to say that I am not excited to start. This is the next stage of my life and I am ready for it.

We are still trying to find things for the apartment. We need much in the way of living and dining room furniture. Right now though, we lack the time and the money to acquire too much. Perhaps this is the "hope that furniture falls from the sky" approach. I realize how unrealistic this is... Regardless we are all happy with where we are now. We have settled in nicely and are anxious to begin work. Now to just make it through the first day...

Boston Update!

2010-08-14T11:54:00.001-04:00

Two weeks ago I loaded up my 1997 Honda Accord and moved to Boston. A lot has happened in two weeks but I will try to provide something of an update of sorts.

Ian, Nathanael and I are moved in to our apartment in a suburb of Boston called Winchester. We are approximately ten miles from downtown Boston. In this area everything is very close in proximity. We are only about seven miles from the lower school, where Nathanael and I will teach, and about five miles from the upper school where Ian will teach. Unlike West Michigan though, this means absolutely nothing as far as times goes. Very quickly I learned you would need to double, triple, quadruple, etc the projected time to and from places. Traffic is very heavy especially at peak times during the day. Driving here has actually not been too terrible. I refuse to drive downtown Boston since the roads are absolutely not meant for modern day vehicles and the parking can be anywhere from $10-$40 an hour. Boston does have a nice transportation system which is much more affordable and convenient if you want to get downtown.

As far as the actual driving itself goes, the drivers here are somewhat strange. They can be either friendly or really unfriendly. Sometimes when you are trying to make a left turn and the oncoming traffic has the right of way, traffic will just suddenly and for no apparent reason, yield to you.... even if they have a green light! Merging into lanes is also never a problem. Cutting people off is common and people are relatively patient... it is as if they expect people to end up in the wrong lane. Which is another interesting thing about Boston roads... they sort of add, change, and drop lanes without any warning whatsoever. Perhaps this explains the patience of the drivers being cut off. The other side of Massachusetts drivers is that they are FAST. The speed limit is 65mph on the highway, but once you get on, you quickly realize that the outer three lanes are all going 75-85mph... and there are essentially no cops on the highway. Traffic signals do not mean much to Massachusetts drivers either as I already pointed out. Just because you have a green light, does not mean a driver will turn left in front of you or that oncoming traffic will stop. It is kind of a different world out here but I am getting used to it. And of course, we will try to avoid the really busy times.

Winchester, Massachusetts is a beautiful, high income "village." Village not in the Borculo, Michigan sense, but in the population of 22,000 people sense. The average home in Winchester costs $830,000. The average household income is $120,000. The average income per person is around $65,000. Needless to say, when we tell people that we live in Winchester, they naturally assume we have money. The town itself is very beautiful. They have a small, quaint downtown with lots of neat stores and a river that runs in the middle of it. Winchester is also known for its excellent schools and low crime rate. Even though we lock our doors, the landlord basically told us that we shouldn't feel the need to do that. For a city ten miles from Boston, it is remarkable how safe it is out here. We are very thankful to have found a place to live here for a very affordable rent. Even with utilities, we estimate that it will cost us all about $700 a month for each person to live here. We would probably be hard pressed to find that good of a deal in this area.

The three of us plan on commuting together to work every day. Since the high school is on the way to work, we will drop Ian off to work first and then Nathanael and I will take the car to the lower school. I think Ian and I are planning to alternate driving sine we both have cars... the commute is anywhere from 15-30 minutes.... and we have to be to work at 7:30am. So there will be early mornings.

Now a little about the school.... Mystic Valley Regional Charter School began in 1998 as a K-6 school. It has now grown to about 1,500 students... roughly 1,050 in the lower school (K-8) and 350 in the high school. This year's graduating class is the first K-12 class so they are very excited about that. We are ranked in the top 1% of charter schools in the country... #278 to be exact. For the record... I turned down the #3 charter school in the nation to come to Mystic Valley which shows why I think highly of the school. Mystic Valley is named for the river valley it is located in... the Mystic River shockingly flows right through this area. Technically we serve five different towns outside Boston. Kids are selected by an impartial lottery and there are over 2,000 kids on the waiting list to get into the school. We are a high performing, academically based school. Of our 31 graduates last year, every one of them is in colleges including Harvard and other prestigious universities. Our mission statement is to provide the best education possible to our students while teaching them how to be a good human and give back to the community. This sort of well-roundedness is similar to what we do so well at Hillsdale for we look at each student as a whole person. Thus, the school does not just emphasize academics, but also extra curriculars, sports, and good character. We have what we call Character Education classes in which students are taught virtues by which they should strive after in order to become a better person. You have to remember that while many of our kids are from white and blue collar families, some of them are from very poor, low income families... some of which lack a parent or any sort of structure in their family. These students would likely be lost in the inner-city public school system which continues to fail thousands of our nation's children each year. Although charter schools are not perfect, it seems that schools like Mystic Valley gives these types of students, and all their other students, a far better chance at success and opportunity than your typical public school.

Mystic Valley believes in order and structure to their system of schooling. Students are praised for good actions, even if it is as simple as following the strict uniform code. Or for looking at the teacher during the lecture. Or for opening the door for another student. They are reminded gently to emulate these types of actions if they are not doing so... but if they do not abide after their first warning, there will be detention and other consequences. The school, however, strongly emphasizes a positive attitude as the best way to motivate students to do the right thing. The K-6 schools use a brilliant system of note cards in which each kid gets a card and depending on whether or not he does anything wrong, he gets a different color card. It sounds crazy but after hearing the training on it this week, I am convinced it is the most brilliant thing I have ever heard.

At Mystic Valley, the teachers and administrators strive to be firm, fair, and consistent. Most of all we are trained how to love the kids... not as their friend, but as their teacher. Although all of us new teachers are a bit overwhelmed right now, we are excited to meet our students. Orientation stared this past Wednesday and goes for one more week. School begins August 23.

I hope to tell more about the school but this update is plenty long enough. I will end by saying that for this upcoming school year, Mystic Valley now has five Hillsdale graduates on their faculty. Three of the six or seven English teachers are Hillsdale graduates. Two of the six or seven History teachers are Hillsdale graduates. I think this reflects very well on the strengths of our college. As for me, I will be teaching one character education class every morning and one class to help students prepare for their standardized tests every Monday. My main duties will be the 120 seventh grade students divided among four classes. I will be teaching American History from the Colonial Period through Reconstruction. As many of you might know, this is the area of history I know and love the best so I am really excited to begin.

For now I apologize for the really long update and I hope I did not put any of you to sleep. Please let me know if you have questions... and I will hopefully try to post again sometime soon.

"Changing" the World?

2010-07-18T18:53:00.004-04:00

What are the "buzz words" of mainstream evangelical Christianity? I'm sure there are many which probably change quicker than you can say "evangelical." But I cannot help but note a few in particular that have lately been on my mind.

Perhaps I run in the wrong circles (very possible) or my mind zones in on a few particular words or phrases within most of modern day Christianity, but it seems like the more "radical" or "extreme" you can "transform" culture, or your life, or your neighbor, or your nation, or your church the better. Such conversations and ideas filtered strongly into a class my senior year at Hillsdale... I then realized that yes such people actually exist hoping to "make the world a better place." This is what a certain professor of history at Hillsdale calls the "transformational impulse" found within American Christianity.

Naive youthful optimism perhaps? Maybe... it does not take much to get carried away with this language. You can find it all over the world and it's desires. Transform your career, dating life, personal fitness, heck even your pet into something amazing and incredible and most importantly, irresistible. The world has much to offer in terms of temporary comfort and happiness which when based on empty promises for one to "just do this or that" brings "hope" or "change" into the lives of people looking for meaning and fulfillment.

I fear this might be an instance of the worldly culture and vocabulary influencing the church and not vice versa. Certainly Christians experience some sort of "transformation" upon receiving grace. The promise of Romans 12:2, however, does not seem to be one of dramatic weight loss or a Republican controlled Congress. Rather it is one of surrender and conformity to the will of God and our place and calling in His image.

Perhaps the most radical, extreme, or transformational action would be to accept our calling and responsibility within the realm or place God has immediately called us to. We are all sons and daughters, brothers or sisters, and for many of us future husbands and wives, fathers and mothers. Each day we interact with many people from co-workers to friends to the lady who rings up your beer. Most importantly we have the church, the Body of Christ which has been given specific instructions of how to carry out the work of Christ on earth while keeping in mind our ultimate purpose. Perhaps the truly radical idea would be to live the truth of God's word without placing our own conditions on what that means.

I refer to two quotations to finish my post. First Kevin DeYoung is a newer name in the reformed evangelical movement. The epilogue in his most recent book offers some noteworthy thoughts on living a "radical" Christian life:

Our jobs are often mundane. Our devotional times often seem like a waste. Church services are often forgettable. That’s life. We drive to the same places, go through the same routines with our coworkers, buy the same groceries at the store, and mow the same yard every spring and summer. Church is often the same too—same doctrines, same basic order of worship, same preacher, same people. But in all the smallness and sameness, God works—like the smallest seed in the garden growing to unbelievable heights…. Life is pretty ordinary, just like following Jesus most days. Daily discipleship is not a new revolution each morning or an agent of global transformation every evening; it’s a long obedience in the same direction.

Second, C.S. Lewis is always a great way to conclude right? This is the final sentences from his essay titled "The Weight of Glory."

It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you say it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations. It is in the light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealing with another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization- these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit- immortal horrors and everlasting splendours. This does not mean we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously, no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption. And our charity must be a real and costly love, with deep feeling for the sins in spite of which we love the sinner- no mere tolerance, or indulgence which parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment. Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses. If he is your Christian neighbor, he is holy in almost the same way, for in him also Christ vere latita the glorifier and the glorified, Glory Himself, is truly hidden.

Two Months

2010-05-31T20:43:00.000-04:00

In just two months I'll be in Boston. Unbelievable. These two months will go quickly whether I want them to or not... and although I want them to go quickly they certainly don't need my help.

I need to make a list of the things I have to do before I leave...

grace

2010-05-24T22:39:00.003-04:00

this past semester i learned the meaning and practice of grace.

grace is one of those funny things we all grow up hearing about, and believing. in one sense, it's the most tangible expression of our relationship to God. How could we live with hope if it were not for grace?

grace is a paradox. it is something ordinary and something miraculous. something universal and particular. perhaps it was learning to see grace in the ordinary that made me finally realize that I did in fact know what it was all along.

if every human is an immortal (thank you clive staples) then maybe all of our interactions are filled with grace... maybe our relationships are signs of this grace. maybe friendship, established on the idea of an attitude that models the love set by our Lord is one of the finest manifestations of grace in the fallen world.

so this past semester i am very glad I took the time to notice this...

Irregular posting is the way of the future...

2010-05-22T16:57:00.002-04:00

Seems to be the fate of every blog... including this one.

First thought in my mind this morning-- "Did I really just graduate two weeks ago???"

Factory work for now; Boston in August.

I would never want to relive this past week over again...

Why am I posting?

2010-01-08T11:29:00.002-05:00

I hate blogging. No one really cares about your day or what is on your mind. Blogging is for those people who have nothing better to do. So they rant and rave and try to be funny. Unfortunately for me I've been that guy before... and from the looks of it... not too long ago!!! Although in my defense, I started up the blog again so my family could try and keep track of my summer in D.C.!

Forrest has inspired me to post again. Blasted Norwegian. I can not and will not promise any future posts but if one shows up who knows what the reason may be?

Hillsdale tomorrow! This semester is going to rock... I hope!

Summer Recess

2009-08-05T11:44:00.002-04:00

Relatively speaking Rayburn and the rest of the Hill is DEAD right now with the House out to recess as of last week Friday. The Senate is set to head out this week Friday ending a busy legislative summer that seemed to give the Republicans some momentum.

Cap and Trade barely passed the House but its fate is even more uncertain in the Senate. Health care barely made it out of committee in the House. Momentum and public opinion is certainly helping those who oppose the President's plan. I am looking forward to seeing the Republican plan which will be introduced after recess. We can only be the party of "No" so long before we need to present our own ideas for true reform.

The week has been really slow in the office... making me only more anxious to get out of D.C. It has been a wonderful summer and I am thankful I had the opportunity to come down here and work. Each day I get a little bit more ready to head back to school.

The problem with "Conservatism"

2009-07-31T14:13:00.002-04:00

HA! What a title for a blog post. Such a title really needs a book. Or two. Or three.

I've been thinking about this for quite some time now. A quote from a very smart and upstanding individual reignited the ongoing questions and debate I've been having with myself and others. This individual essentially argued for "revolution" within the conservative movement in order for it to survive. I'm paraphrasing of course, but he essentially complained that conservatism has become so watered down, that it has strayed from its principles.

I think there are a lot of problems with this type of thinking. Sadly, most people, even if they aren't as libertarian as this individual is, would agree that "conservatism" has lost its principles.

But what are the principles of conservatism?

Perhaps part of the problem is that conservatism has bought into the idea that for it to be successful, it must be political. Those who truly study conservatism know, that conservatism is inherently anti-political because it is inherently anti-ideological. Conservatism never looks to political solutions for answers. It does not hinge its success on the political success and failures of its political manifestations.

True conservatism is a way of life. And it has existed long before John Locke or the American Founding Fathers. It is a tradition of great thinkers, who together form what Christopher Dawson and T.S. Eliot understood to be a "Republic of Letters." Dawson's "Republic" never carried a political connotation. Rather it united an understanding of God, man, and man's place in the order of things. These things are in themselves, non-political.

Conservatism of course, has political manifestations. But the key to uncovering them, is not found through political means. I'm curious when conservatives will finally realize this... if they ever do. We can win as many offices and presidencies as we want. But until we understand our own specific place in the world, we will never change lives or minds. Perhaps the key is to first change ourselves.

Intern Lunch

2009-07-30T21:29:00.002-04:00

Today the office scheduled the obligatory "farewell" lunch for their interns. I guess they do one every spring, summer, and fall since there are always interns in the office. Kathleen, who is the other intern in our office this past summer has her last day tomorrow. Next week with the recess, many of our staffers will be in and out of the office. Thus they decided to do the lunch today as both the congressman and the staff would be available.

You think staffers can debate policy... wait until you see them debate pizza toppings. In an intense half hour struggle, the pizza toppings were finally selected in a controversial compromised proposed by the chief of staff to let the interns select the toppings since it was technically their lunch.

I probably would not have gotten sentimental except they gave me a card! Then all sorts of emotions and thoughts took over...

After sitting down, as we got enjoyedconversation as a staff... I was thinking what a great summer it has been getting to know these people on a more personal basis. While we were sitting there, laughing a lot because that is what my office seems to do very well, it seemed as if everyone there was no longer a chief of staff, a communications director, a legislative assistant, an office manager, or a staff assistant. Rather we were Justin, Dave, RJ, Leah, and Keal... among others. I think that is the most rewarding part of any experience I've ever encountered. Getting to know people for who they are beyond the labels they identify themselves with, and the boxes the world places them on.

In my own life the most enriching relationships I have are with those I would never have expected as much. I may never encounter these people again in this life, but I am blessed with the opportunity to know them as people... outside of their jobs... if even for little glimpses at small moments in time.

Eliot and the "world"

2009-07-29T21:41:00.004-04:00

Eliot writes in Burnt Norton that "to be conscious is not to be in time." Such a thought centers around what I believe to be Eliot's understanding of time which relates to how we understand true being and reality. One might wonder why this matters...

It seems that Eliot connects understanding ones place in the order of things to how one views his current place in life. From a logical standpoint, why wouldn't there be a correlation?

What does Eliot mean when he says "that which is only living, can only die"? Perhaps "only living" equates to being "caught in the form of limitation" which Eliot describes as "between un-being and being." Perhaps life in this world is being caught between living and dying, but never sure how to live between them until you actually die.

For Eliot this world, which is not permanent, is a problem because it attempts to satisfy what it is not able to satisfy.

Like Scripture, Eliot notes the folly within the wisdom and attitude of the world. He writes in East Coker "The only wisdom we can hope to acquire Is the wisdom of humility: humility is endless." Eliot reminds us of the inherently temporary state of the world:

In order to arrive at what you are not
You must go through the way in which you are not.
And what you do not know is the only thing you know
And what you own is what you do not own
And where you are is where you are not.

We are not created for this world and should never become truly satisfied in it. "As we grow older" writes Eliot, "The world becomes a stranger."

I do not think Eliot is suggesting that we not attempt to live or minister to this world. But fundamentally, we must have an understanding of our true place and being in something much higher than this world can ever offer.

Rotunda Tour... and Time...

2009-07-28T21:50:00.008-04:00

Today I got to do one of the most incredible things I have ever done... which perhaps suggests that I have not lived a very incredible life...

Thanks to the persevering work of Leah our executive assistant, our office was able to schedule a Rotunda tour for the interns! Kathleen and I were able to invite two friends each so logically I picked Will and Zach knowing that they will likely read these words someday and will no doubt be flattered. The tour was of course amazing... indescribable really... and it was a great way to (almost) end my internship.

Thinking about myself four years ago, I would have been so pleased with the idea of a Capitol internship for the sake of my future political career. Obviously things have changed and I'm not altogether certain what direction this next year will bring.

Many of my recent feeble attempts to think "intellectual" thoughts have focused on T.S. Eliot's conception of Time in the Four Quartets. C.S. Lewis also deals with this subject in a very similar manner I think... throughout his writings. Going through "Screwtape Letters" at the beginning of summer has allowed me to keep thinking about the similarities in Eliot's and Lewis's understanding of time.

Both note a tension in human beings. We are made for eternity but we live in time. God Himself is outside of time. He is the beginning and the end, and thus naturally does not operate by the human and finite understanding of time. In this sense, God is outside of time because he is eternal. Eliot writes in "Little Gidding" that history is a pattern of "timeless" moments... The moments in time which somehow are eternal for they have greater meaning outside of this temporary world.

Lewis suggests that since we are created for eternity, while we are on earth, God wishes for us to attend to the Present, "For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity." In these
"present moments" can humans experience true reality, which is outside of time for true reality is an encounter with our Creator. It is in our Creator, that the Apostle said on Mars Hill that "we live and move and have our being."

Thus, Lewis warns against both dwelling too much in the past, but especially in the future claiming that the future is "the thing least like eternity" for it is the "most completely temporal part of time." Ideology, evolution, scientific humanism, and of course Communism all fix men's eyes upon the future, the "very core of temporality."

Men must instead focus on "today's duty." I think this reminder is good not just in a practical sense... because I cannot worry what the next year will bring, but also in an eternal sense. God's will will be made known to me, He has promised me this and I can trust His promises for they are faithful. I think this is what Eliot means when he writes:

Time past and time future
What might have been and what has been
Points to one end, which is always present

Regardless of where we are in life we are called to pursue those things that are timeless. God's grace allows us to comprehend beyond what is temporary and live inside the eternal present, the moments which God makes us truly alive...

"Center" Government

2009-07-25T14:59:00.001-04:00

I've realized what an interesting summer it is to be in Washington D.C. It is historic in which the nation's first black (sort of) President appointed the nation's first (maybe) Hispanic justice to the United States Supreme Court. Obama's agenda has been the most liberal, most progressive agenda our nation has ever seen. In my view, he has already outdone FDR and he is not even one year into his presidency. Just the government takeover of what were private industries and banks signals a step further than FDR. The largest majority by the Democrats in recent history has also yielded a history infighting that is impossible to ignore.

These same questions exist on the Republican side as well. The question of winning seats/sticking to one's "principles" seems to lack a fairly cohesive answer. Certain divisions seem to be put aside when there is a strong leader to the political party. George W's strength in 2004 quelled internal party dissension... Barack Obama's strength seems to have ignited the Democrats to electoral success. However a very different result seems to be in store for Obama's legislative agenda.

The "Blue Dog" Democrats are a group that fascinates me. Dr. Bobb wants to spend some time identifying them and researching their districts a bit. It is no secret that they come from relatively "conservative" districts elected in the Democratic waves of 2006 and 2008 in which the Republicans were "out of touch" with their constituents. The centrist policies of the Blue Dogs seems to be giving Nancy Pelosi and President Obama major headaches. It is no secret that Pelosi had to arm twist Republican votes to pass cap and trade. As for health care, the Democrats for now have woken up and realized that the proposed legislation by Waxman and the rest of the progressive caucus, would fail by an overwhelming vote...

I'm impressed with the Blue Dog's policy of fiscal conservatism and for the most part social conservatism. I like that they seem to understand the interests of their constituents.. and that what is needed is not an abolishment of entitlement programs, but a reform of the current system. This type of government might serve America good for certainly far-right and far-left government has proven to be ineffective.

In my last two weeks here, I will be keeping a close on the Blue Dogs. Ultimately they may have a bigger share of power than anyone ever imagined headed into the 111th Congress.

I'm probaby not going to come back here... maybe...

2009-07-23T21:26:00.002-04:00

Dr. Birzer told me I needed to start writing things down that I have learned/been challenged with. He asked me on the phone the other day if I was enjoying myself and learning a lot. I launched into a very long-winded answer. Poor Dr. Birzer... but I do know why he told me to start writing things down!

I've been asked quite a few times if I will come back to D.C. after college. My answer is a firm "No"... but then I hesitate. After all, how am I supposed to know what God's plan is for right now?

Little Gidding's lines continue to define the way I think about... everything. In many ways, I am right back where I first started. I am in D.C... (which is not where I started), but I have rediscovered my love and passion for politics. I understand politics... the election cycles... and how to get things done in Congress. I wish more important things came more naturally to me. But in another sense, I know this love of politics "for the first time" in that I think about it differently. Conservatism is inherently anti-political. Myself as a human being has little to do with politics. There is a proper place for politics... I'm more convinced than ever that both the left and the right do not have the answers.

So in a sense, I only have rekindled my love of politics, because I have discovered its proper place in the world... and for now in my life. I expect these thoughts to change as well as I grow and mature and am challenged. I still believe God is calling me to serve him through education, which has become a greater passion of mine. But for now, I do not know where I will be one year from today. Rather I must focus on the present... for this is where God has placed me for now.

A Thought on Transparency

2009-07-20T20:28:00.001-04:00

"Transparency" has become a major buzz word since the beginning of the Obama administration. Now everyone, Republicans and Democrats, are using it to describe what they believe to be in part, the character of the government. The actions of the government, should be made transparent or visible... at least visible to certain people.

Every time I hear this word I cannot help but think of the quotation by C.S. Lewis at the end of the "The Abolition of Man." I realize that Lewis probably did not have in mind the 21st century U.S. government when he penned one of the greatest responses to the problem of modernity... that being the destruction of man...

However I do think this quotation is fitting whether or not it's relevant to the current usage of the word. If anything, it demonstrates the problem of language... words have lost their meaning and a word which once had perhaps negative connotations has taken on a "positive" meaning... (assuming a transparent government is what we need to solve the world's problems and immanentize the eschaton).

Then again maybe the problem with government is the desire to know... to control... and to manipulate. Both by those inside the government or those who wish to "reform" it. Enough of me... here is Lewis...

"... the kind of explanation which explains things away may give us something, though at a heavy cost. But you cannot go on 'explaining away' for ever: you will find that you have explained explanation itself away. You cannot go on 'seeing through' things for ever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it.... It is no use trying to 'see through' first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To 'see through' all things is the same as not to see."

Advertising for William Clayton!

2009-07-19T19:22:00.006-04:00

I really enjoy Sundays. My goal this upcoming school year is to put off homework on Sundays until the evening. I think it is also the dinner the guys and I plan on cooking inside my apartment. So it should shape up to be a nice, relaxing day come school year as well.

Saturday evening I went into the city and met up with Will. We grabbed Chipotle's for dinner (shocker I know) and then hung around the monuments so Will could get pictures at sunset/dark. Will is an amazing photographer, God has definitely given him a gift with the camera. You can check out some of his photography by going to his website, www.williamclayton.com . He is currently doing a "Project 365" in which he posts a picture every single day that is somewhat relevant to either the work he is doing or what is going on in his life at the moment. Check out the site, there is some awesome pictures and it's a good way to follow what is going on in Will's life. I'm hoping he will eventually post some of the pictures he took last night.

Will's family comes in for a visit later this week. Laura Golden is in town on Wednesday evening. Those are the two main events on my calendar this week.

Tomorrow it is back to work for my discussion on health care! I can't wait!

Fastest Week Yet!

2009-07-18T11:54:00.002-04:00

I cannot believe this week is done and over. It flew by so fast I completely lost time. Health care has been the dominating legislative issue. I have read through large portions of the bill. Naturally I am disliking it very much...
Once again the Republicans, just like in 1993, will rely on centrist Democrats to help kill the measure. We shall see how things play out. Republican offices across the Hill all experienced a tiring and frustrating week...

Outside my work I had a fairly busy week. I had drinks with Will, Zach, and Julie on Wednesday. Thursday night Hillsdale College held an alumni reception in a conference room at the Supreme Court. Good food and wine to drink... along with the plans of the college to harness the 276 alumni that they know of in the area to help out the undergraduate interns during the summer and after college. There are currently 52 Hillsdale College undergrads interning in D.C.

I came home from work and took it easy last night. Will stopped by for only the best American beer ever... I think we might head out to take pictures of the monuments at night sometime this evening...

21 days until Adam!

Now under the four week part...

2009-07-12T22:22:00.003-04:00

Time continues to fly. The weekend was indeed enjoyable. Visiting the White House was fun although I've seen it all before. It was nice to go with Julie who had not yet seen the White House from the inside.

Saturday afternoon I went out to Will's. Paul, Dakota, and Zach came over and we grilled hamburgers. I spent the night at Will's. Today Will and I visited an OPC church here in Virginia. It was a bit different than we were expecting... although I guess it shows a much wider range within the OPC denomination than I initially thought there would be. Perhaps the church was an anomaly. I'd compare it to a today's typical CRC church. Will and I drove out to Sam's for his birthday party today and got to hang out with other Hillsdale people including Liz, Rebecca, Zach, and Dakota. We also got to meet a bunch of Sam's friends from back home.

Tomorrow begins another week of work. Hopefully we get health care in time to actually read the final copy of the legislation...

Lectures Lectures Lectures

2009-07-10T23:26:00.002-04:00

I ended up skipping a fair amount of Eagle Forum. I just could not take so much mindless "conservative" indoctrination. This morning they brought in a few speakers who had brains and could make actual arguments. I was pleased with that although I wish that was more the norm rather than the exception. In general, it reveals my own frustration with the overtly ideological modern day conservative movement. A lot of the ideas I am working through only reveal the wrong direction of both the Democratic and Republican party. The answer for the GOP is not to return to its "roots" whatever the heck those are anyways. Historically speaking, the roots of the GOP is an anti-slavery/anti-Mormon platform. If THOSE are the roots the GOP is talking about, I'm really not interested in belonging to a party relevant about 150 years ago.

This morning Dr. Moreno spoke at 7:45am at Ebenezer's Coffeeshop a block away from Union Station. I skipped over to Eagle Forum after that but left around noon to go to a different lunch at the Heritage Foundation. The event is called the Madison Fellows and is coordinated by Hillsdale, the Heritage Foundation, and the Federalist Society. The "Fellows" are congressional staffers and it is a once a month lunch in which constitutionally conservative ideas are discussed. Zak, one of our LA's is one of the "Fellows" so he invited me to go with him to the lunch today as I am a current Hillsdale student. It was interesting... I definitely enjoyed the discussion on the upcoming confirmation hearings of Judge Sotomayor.

At 4pm, Hillsdale summer interns got the chance to meet former Senator Fred Thompson. He spoke for a few minutes and answered questions. He did a good job reminding Republicans that there is in fact no perfect solution to all of our problems. I appreciated his practical viewpoint of which still preserved basic conservative ideas.

Tonight I am home resting up from my cold. I have a White House tomorrow early which I am excited about. I am headed out to William's in the afternoon. We are headed to an OPC church in Vienna Sunday morning.

And so concludes the update I'm sure you've have all been waiting for...

Some time off from work...

2009-07-08T10:10:00.002-04:00

Eagle Forum, which is a leading conservative pro-family PAC, is hosting its 16th annual Collegian Leadership Summit this Thursday and Friday at the Heritage Foundation. They are featuring a variety of conservative speakers including many congressman, academics, and a journalists. Hillsdale's own Dr. Folsom will be there as well. They are serving lunch and dinner tomorrow and lunch on Friday. I figure it will definitely be worth my time and get me out of the office for a few days.

Friday is shaping up to be a busy day anyways. Dr. Moreno is in town to give a lecture early Friday morning and Hillsdale students get a chance to meet former Senator/presidential candidate/actor Fred Thompson later in the afternoon. My plan is to skip out on the conference sometime after lunch on Friday to read for a bit and then go to the Fred Thompson event.

I think I'm getting a cold. My throat is a bit full and I'm feeling a bit off today. I should probably find some time to rest this weekend but it is already filling up. Saturday morning I have a White Horse tour that Keal managed to squeeze me in on. Then we are planning a birthday party for Sam in the afternoon. I will likely spend the night at Will's so we can go to the OPC (Orthodox Presbyterian) church in Vienna, Virginia on Sunday morning.

Last night James and I went to the Capitol Lounge after work for drinks and 35 cent wing night. They were delicious and it was nice to unwind a bit. Tonight I am meeting my old friend Kaitlyn for dinner at Chipotle's. Then I will go home and rest.

It's been a slow week thus far as Congress has only recently returned. Things should pick up once health care mark ups begin.

My office finally released my press release. You can check it out by clicking here. Less than 60 days until class starts...

Tonight I miss Hillsdale

2009-07-06T21:16:00.002-04:00

I miss the long nights at Hillsdale. The days at Hillsdale are always quick. The nights are long. But they are wonderful. They start somewhere after dinner (around 6pm?) and end around 3am or so. It is those nights, next to certain people, that I am missing most. The smell of pipe smoke, the endless stack of library books, and the sound of good music from room #203. It makes me very excited for next semester.

Yet there are definitely things I am going to miss here in D.C. I continue to have a love/hate relationship with the subway. But there is something awesome about standing on the platform, when the roar of the metro cars sends a gust of air into your face. I will miss walking by the Capitol Building five days on the way to work. And I will miss doing work I actually enjoy, and that as of now, I seem to be fairly good at.

Today I gave a tour of the Capitol this morning to a family from Holland. They were proud Pete was their congressman. A lot of people from Michigan District Two will miss him. I ate another delicious free lunch courtesy of Bill. Meatball sandwiches, pasta salad, potato chips, and brownies. This afternoon I went to a briefing with Daniela. It consisted of a number of social policy LA's (Legislative Assistants) from various congressman (all Republican of course). They discussed traditional values related legislation. It will be a busy end to the summer. It was interesting, especially as I continue to question with the relationship between Christianity and politics.

Tomorrow Mr. Hoekstra will be back in the office...

We've reached the half-way point

2009-07-05T20:54:00.002-04:00

Technically speaking, I have actually surpassed the half-way point. Five weeks from tonight I will be with Adam and six weeks I will be home. Seven weeks I will be back in Hillsdale. It's funny how time works...

Thursday evening Dakota came over and we ate frozen pizza and drank Killians. It was a nice, chill way to begin the weekend. Friday was amazing because it was a day off! I met Julie, Dakota, Katherine, and Emily in Chinatown for an American Studies major lunch at Gordon Biersch. The five of us compose a majority of our eight person major. It was nice to see everyone and I enjoyed conducting "business" over lunch in D.C.

After lunch we walked around the Portrait Gallery and the Art museum for a while. Later on in the afternoon after everyone had gone their separate ways, I met up with William for sushi. It had been a while since we both had last enjoyed sushi so we found a good restaurant with reasonable prices. We will definitely be headed back there again before the end of summer.

Saturday I met William and Dakota for lunch at the Cosi's in Rosslyn and then Dakota and I met up with Liz and the visiting and road-tripping Juls. William had to run back home to upload his pictures from the morning Fourth of July parade in D.C. Meanwhile the rest of us explored more of the Smithsonian including another trip back to the Portrait Gallery to check out the exhibit on the U.S. Presidents (which myself and the rest of the group did not get to on Friday). William met up with us and we grabbed dinner at Potbelly's and took it with us to the Mall to wait for fireworks. We played euchre and watched the crowd grow larger and larger. The fireworks were great, but I think if I did it again, I'd get there earlier in order to sit even close. Although I heard Arlington across the river was a good place to watch them as well. After the fireworks, Will, Dakota, and I grabbed drinks across from Union Station.

Today has given me the chance to relax and rest up for the coming week. I'm reading "All the Kings Men" and watching some of "Legally Blonde" with my host family. A nice, chill Sunday evening...

When Thursday equal Friday

2009-07-02T14:31:00.002-04:00

I got to go to the House floor yesterday with Keal our friendly staff assistant. It is a pretty stunning place actually. It is hard to imagine how much important stuff goes on there. And the fact that the legislation debated and passed there actually effects the entire country. All that aside, I enjoyed the few minutes down there. It all looks smaller than it does on tv.

Keal also got me a White House tour on July 11. I am taking Julie and Will with me.

Tomorrow Katherine comes in, and her and the four American Studies majors interning in D.C. summer (including myself) are meeting up for lunch. We might go to Arlington which would be fitting and appropriate.

The office is quiet today. We are just sitting around waiting for the day to end. James and his staff are doing the same thing. One of our staffers brought in a delicious breakfast dish. The same guy bought me fried chicken for lunch. Sometimes being an intern isn't that bad...

A Liberal View of the Servile Arts

2009-07-01T22:20:00.002-04:00

Monday evening after work I met up with Dakota and Will to attend a lecture presented by the Ethics and Public Policy Center. It featured author Matthew Crawford who recently released a book titled, Shop Class as Soul Craft which describes his view of what a job should look like. Crawford, who has a masters (or a doctorate perhaps) in public policy from the University of Chicago. Later quitting his job at a think-tank in Washington D.C. to operate a motorcycle repair shop in Virginia, Crawford critiques many modern day assumptions about labor, vocation, and the value of truly enjoying ones work. I had the chance to meet Mr. Crawford and ask him a few questions. Although he seems supportive of liberal education, I did not get the feeling his understanding of it was as deep as I expect from someone with the educational background he possesses. Regardless, he makes a very important point about education and I think it is definitely worth listening to. I've attached the article in the New York Times here in case you wish to follow up more.

All in all, the lecture was definitely worth my time... along with the wine and cheese they served afterwards :D

"Settled In"

2009-06-30T20:46:00.002-04:00

The phrase I can use to describe myself is "settled in." I feel like I've reached that magic yet mystical stage of living in a new place in which things feel more at home. Not that this is home by any means. But nonetheless, the days go quickly and I cannot believe that I am nearly half-way done with my internship.

Friday was ridiculous as our office was bombarded with phone calls. That wretched energy bill passed by 7 votes. In the words of Minority Leader John Boehner, "this bill is a piece of s***." Hopefully the weakened GOP in the Senate can find a way to stop it there.

This past weekend was a busy one. Zach, Will, Dakota, and I met up with some Hillsdale people in town on Friday night. Sean McDermott and his fiancée along with Marieke, Betsy, Maria, Julie, and Liz met us at the WWII memorial. Nothing too exciting occurred. I spent the night at Zach's place and the next morning we went crepe hunting for breakfast at the Eastern Market... which is a big Saturday morning market averaging about 15,000 customers per Saturday. I met up with Julie after breakfast while Zach played frisbee on the mall. We did some more Smithsonian touring until later in the afternoon when Zach and I headed up to a sweet book store in Maryland. Dakota also met us up there, and Sam picked us up and we spent the night at his house. I attended Joshua Harris's church called Covenant Life the next day and got a taste for Reformed evangelicalism. The verdict is still out on that one as a whole but I enjoyed Harris's message and was thankful it avoided the subject of dating....Mrs. Branchaw fed us well the entire weekend and on Sunday Rebecca and Liz came over for a barbecue. It was nice to spend time with Hillsdale people... which seems to be the trend on weekends.

Today it was back to the office where we are enjoying a week of congressional recess. We are using the time to try and catch up on constituent mail. We are getting record amounts for our office which is a good and a bad thing. It can be a pain to write letters back... but it is good that Rep. Hoekstra is gaining the attention of the people of Michigan.

Not too sure what the plans are for the rest of the week. Will probably see some D.C. fireworks which should be awesome....

Cap and Trade

2009-06-25T22:10:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow the House will vote on the Clean Air and Energy plan proposed by House Democrats. Lead sponsors of the legislation are Reps. Markey and Waxman. For the life of me, I will never understand liberal economic policy. Those who know me, realize I am no staunch advocate of the free market. But I seriously do not understand why we we should pass an energy bill that will cost the average American family $3000 a year. All in the name of something that is scientifically unproven. I greatly question Obama's stimulus package to the American people. Why give the Americans a few hundred dollars when your tax and spend policies will cost them thousands of dollars in the end. This is ludicrous and its stunning at how stupid the American people are. No offense to any Obama voters reading this. But get real. Pay attention to how public policy actually works. Understand that big inefficient government offers many promises but no solutions and always ends up making our lives worse in the long run. I'm not suggesting the GOP is offering better alternatives at this point. The Republicans are just as confused and misguided on many issues. But when it comes to this proposed energy bill (known as Cap and Trade), and Obama's domestic initiatives in general, the Democratic agenda is more than just misguided. It is just plain and simple stupid.

At least this type of legislation has kept me busy over the summer. I look forward to ending my fourth week on the job. I really am enjoying my internship and all that I get to learn. Some of my work in the spreading of the parental rights amendment got some coverage when we reached 100 co-sponsors in the House. This past week I've done a variety of things including research on taxes, health care, and government emergency contacts and protocols. It definitely keeps the day interesting.

Thankfully I have a life outside of work which is awesome. I talked on the phone for three and a half hours last night which was kind of ridiculous... thank goodness for free nights and weekends. Tonight I went to an intern barbecue put on by a Christian organization... and then went out for a drink with Julie which was nice to do especially after a busy past week of work. Tomorrow I am working and then going over to Zach's for a bit. We are meeting up with some people at night. I'm spending the night with Zach because we are having breakfast together on Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon we are bookstore hunting and then spending the night with Sam. We will go to his church and have dinner with his family. I should have a more detailed report of the weekend... after it is over!

For now... sleep...

Whoa- June 23?

2009-06-23T21:52:00.002-04:00

So I was going to call this post "Mid-June Update" but was horrified upon looking at my computer clock that it is actually June 23. Yes I really did know that... but I guess I never actually realized it. SCARY. Summer is going by fast but I didn't think it was actually going by that fast.

This past weekend was really relaxing. I spent most of Saturday out in Georgetown at James's place. Read and slept... and made spaghetti for dinner. Hannah is coming out this Thursday for the weekend so James was (and still is) fairly one track minded at this point... which is understandable. Speaking of the weekend, it appears to be filling up fairly quickly. Sean McDermott is coming into town on Friday and he is trying to get a group together Friday night. I have plans Saturday too... so we will see how they turn out.

The Metro accident shook the entire city up I think. One knows the risks of any sort of transportation system. Certainly we place a lot of trust in it to function properly. No Hillsdale students were hurt which is a blessing. Meanwhile the commute today went normally for myself although there were delays and no service on nearly ever stop of the red line... I am definitely glad I live in an area which avoids the red line completely.

Meanwhile work continues to plug along. I had a few "small world" occurrences today. First I had a free lunch today courtesy of the James Kennedy Institute of Christian Statesmen. Yes, politically active Christian organizations inherently scare me. But the speaker was Rep. Mike Pence... and there was free lunch for the first 100 who RSVP'd. Rep. Pence was actually really good... and rather than trying to encourage young Capitol Hill interns to overtake the world, he spoke on remaining faithful to what was really lasting in life... that being our faith in Christ. Anyways after I got off the elevator and turned the corner to go back to this office, I ran into this lady who recognized me from KEEGSTRA'S. Wow... that was like... 6 or 7 years ago. I faintly recognized her too... she was there with her husband and family. I was a bit stunned... but happy to see people from Hudsonville. I also found out my chief of staff is a good friend of Mitch Newenhouse... my former boss. When he found about that I knew Mitch, he called Mitch up to tell him I was working for him now. What a small and crazy world... it's almost scary...

To follow up my free lunch, I also got to enjoy a free dinner this evening courtesy of Hillsdale. Afterwards Dr. Bobb showed us the space where the new headquarters for Hilldale's D.C. campus is located. It is an exciting time for Hillsdale and the space looks very promising... although I am not entirely sure what I think of the entire idea in general.

Anyways its time for sleep before a long day tomorrow... will try and post sometime before the weekend but no promises.

End of Week Three

2009-06-19T22:16:00.002-04:00

This week flew by the fastest yet. It was a busy week in Congress... mainly over defense spending which ended up barely passing. Health care is also on the docket with the GOP introducing an alternate bill to counter the Democratic proposal. Both sides lack specifics so there is still plenty of battle left to be fought.

I had a great time over dinner with Ben Stafford this past week. We discussed a variety of topics including Ben's job with the Mackinaw Center for Public Policy. Even though he gets to work with a lot of economics, and his major was economics, Ben insists that his major did very little to prepare him for his actual job. College cannot provide the type of training one gets in the so-called "real world."

I realized also that Hillsdale's recognition down here is phenomenally good. At least compared to back home. Most people have never heard of Hillsdale, let alone know its reputation. Never mind that Hillsdale consistently ranks higher than Hope, Calvin, and many other good colleges. Or that Hillsdale is one of only two colleges in the entire nation that rejects government aid. Or that Hillsdale's faculty and speakers are some of the most distinguished academics and experts in their field. GVSU is a great deal right ;)... But when you tell someone down in the D.C. area that you go to school at Hillsdale, they definitely give you that nod or glance of approval. Most people down here know the kind of education Hillsdale offers. And it is nice to be in an environment where people already know that.

Today the office bought pizza for lunch... it was also our office manager's birthday so she made a delicious lemon cake. Tonight I helped the Madsen's tear out the carpeting of their recently flooded basement. Tomorrow I will head out to Georgetown to spend the day with James. I will probably spend the afternoon reading. We might go see a movie in the evening.

I think that catches you all up for now....

Metro Frustrations

2009-06-17T21:04:00.002-04:00

Oh D.C. Metro... we have a love/hate relationship. I finally threw away my mini-metro map yesterday. A graduation from my novice days of subway riding. I can get around the subways without frantically checking my location... or the train I'm getting onto. It is such a nice feeling! This is the "love" part of my relationship with the metro.

Now for the hate part. Apparently they are doing maintenance on the blue and yellow lines. I hope it is done by tomorrow because today's commute was terrible. I knew something was wrong the minute I got to the Pentagon... and the platform was packed. The first train was for the yellow line... and it was PACKED even before the passengers starting getting on. There was no way any other person would be able to fit... until a lady with a broken arm shoved her way in... only to have the door close on her arm. Some people are idiots. Anyways, instead of running the normal 1-2 minutes apart, the trains were running about 5-7 minutes. Time is precious in the morning commute but I knew I was going to be late. I finally shove my way onto the next train... which was PACKED even worse than normal. Amazingly, I was only three minutes late... which in my office is excusable. The commute back was slow as well. The blue line stopped every 50ft or so... the yellow line was running every 10 minutes making for another jam packed metro car... only worse because it was half-filled with obnoxious tourists who fail to understand that you DO NOT TALK ON THE METRO. Everyone is too tired to listen to you blabber about absolutely nothing. Okay... I think my metro rant is now over.

In happier news I got to experience life on the House floor yesterday. I was there for the appropriations vote that barely passed. Health care reform is coming through this week. While the Democrats continue to bicker, my congressman and most all of the GOP caucus appears to be united in their opposition to a 1.6 TRILLION dollar plan that could cost according to the Congressional Budget Office, over 6 trillion dollars in the next ten years. Listen I'm all about helping people but seriously... we are talking trillions of dollars and no ideas of paying for it... except by raising your taxes. So much for Obama's ideas of "change." Democrats (and most politicians in general) will raise your taxes. They always have and they always will.

Here is a link to an interview on C-Span with Hillsdale's president Larry Arnn. He says some interesting things about our school... and the article in the Wall Street Journal that everyone at my school cannot stop talking about, "Why Hilsdale is better than Harvard." I will be having dinner with a good friend and graduate of Hillsdale tomorrow night... Mr. Ben Stafford. Looking forward to another free meal!

I also got my picture with Congressman Hoekstra on the steps of the Capitol. There should be something in the Advance newspapers back home...

I am going to continue some pleasure reading... back to work tomorrow. Definitely ready for the weekend!

Beginning of Week Three

2009-06-15T21:59:00.002-04:00

They tell me the first week is the slowest... the rest all fly by. If last week was any indication how fast the summer will go, I am slightly scared. I started my third week in D.C. by continuing my research on the health care legislation. This is already quite the controversy on Capitol Hill as the Democrats continue to fight among themselves about which plan will be best. For the time being, the Republicans seem content to stand back and watch the Democrats argue... while maintaining a fairly unified commitment to oppose the single-payer option proposed by liberals including Ted Kennedy.

This evening I met Dr. Gamble after work at a Borders just off of the Pentagon City metro stop. Some fellow students also met up with him including Will, Zach, Julie, Ben Stafford (alumni), and Dakota. We ended up having a delicious dinner at a pizza place. Dr. Gamble was gracious enough to cover the cost of the meal. What a blessing for a group of D.C. college student interns!

Tomorrow is back to work. Probably nothing too exciting... except more health care legislation...

Dinner with Dr. Gamble

2009-06-14T22:45:00.003-04:00

Dr. Gamble took me out for Italian food tonight. It is not often you get to eat and drink wine with one of your favorite professors. Dr. Gamble has also been one of the most influential men in my life. I have appreciated all that he has taught me... for real learning is both inside and outside the classroom. We talked about the problems of the modern day church... and many other importantish things. I hope to meet up with him and a few other students sometime tomorrow.

I thought I'd also post my picture with Justice Thomas before I head to bed... the others in the picture are Zach, Andrew, and Dakota.

Weeeeeekend!

2009-06-13T22:55:00.002-04:00

My weekend essentially started on Thursday. Julie won a free happy hour from 10-12pm. I decided to spend Thursday and Friday night with James in Georgetown. We went to Trader Joe's and bought food... had grilled cheese for dinner and then headed out. It was actually a lot of fun as we got to meet up with Julie, William, John K, and Maria. Friday was work of course... as we ended a busy legislative week. Friday after work James and I took it easy and watched the Stanley Cup (of which nothing more will be said).

Today Andrew came into town for the day and James and I met him this morning at the newly opened/renovated American History museum. Liz, Zach, Sam, and later William also came out. It was a lot of fun at the museum and the great restaurant we went to for lunch. We also walked around the Washington Monument to check out the jazz festival.

After Andrew left I went back with James to grab my stuff and then came back here. My host family is gone until tomorrow night so I have the house to myself minus Quincy the dog. It is starting to thunder so I think another storm is coming. I basically talked on the phone to Adam and Manuel for most of the evening.

Tomorrow evening I am meeting Dr. Gamble in town for dinner. I am looking forward to seeing him. This concludes another blog post. Hope you are still awake!

Rain AGAIN

2009-06-10T21:32:00.002-04:00

To no one's surprise it is raining again! James and I... both reluctant to sit in the rain while wearing dress clothes decided to pass on going to a Nationals game tonight. We will definitely make it out there before the end of the summer! Hopefully Julie and Will aren't getting too wet right now!

I've managed to attend back-to-back free lunches at the Heritage Foundation. The lunch yesterday featured a discussion on health care by Congresswoman Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. Today's lunch was on the topic of social justice and featured remarks by the well known columnist and author Michael Novak. Both were excellent presentations-- and excellent lunches!

Yesterday after work I went home with James. We had pbj sandwhiches for dinner and watched some baseball. I'll be headed home with home tomorrow too and will be there until Saturday.

Other than that, not much going on. I have a number of projects going on at the office. Hopefully tomorrow is a fast day!

Hospitality

2009-06-08T22:04:00.002-04:00

I got to thinking how many people I have stayed with over the past few years, especially as I have traveled more. Living with the Madsen's has been great, and other than school or family, I will live with them longer than with anyone else. With that said, I am thankful for all the many wonderful people who have showed me hospitality over the past few years. Here are the ones I can think of... and there might be others I have forgotten...

Gibson's (Houston, Texas)
Frantzen's (San Antonio, Texas)
Sam Branchaw's Grandma... whose name I unfortunately cannot remember (Chicago)
Krepps family (Grand Ledge, MI)
Fiore's (New York City)
Howe's (San Jose, California)
Howard's (Berkeley, California)
Ruckman's (Daytonish, Ohio)
Downey's (Arlington, Virginia)
Odell's (Lancaster, PA)

I think that's all I can remember for now. I might have missed some...

In other news, I had lunch with JAMES today which was so exciting. I am so glad we work so close. We will be having lots of fun inside and outside of work this summer.

Off to bed...

Sunday Explorations

2009-06-07T21:32:00.002-04:00

Today after church I met up with Liz to explore parts of the Smithsonian. Ironically, I got on at Dupont Circle in the same car as she was already riding. What an awesome coincidence!

We got off at the Smithsonian and then decided to go to the Air and Space Museum. No matter how many times I go there, I do not get sick of looking at the exhibits. We only wanted to check out the space part of the museum so after walking around there for a few hours we grabbed lunch at the amazing McDonald's at the end of the museum.

From there we walked around the outdoor sculpture garden at the Smithsonian on our way to the World War II Memorial. Liz had never seen this memorial before so we decided to check it out. It was a beautiful day and there were many people flying kites between the Washington Monument and the WWII memorial. This is the third of fourth time I've seen the memorial and I think I like it more every time I see it. It was also appropriate coming the day after the anniversary of D-Day.

After leisurely resting among the trees outside the memorial, we walked to the White House and then around the area surrounding the famous residence. Now I am back here at the house thinking about Monday...

We'll see how this week goes...

End of Week 1!

2009-06-06T23:13:00.002-04:00

Week one is done and over! I am already looking forward to the start of next week. I plan on crashing 2-3 FREE lunches either at the building I work at, or the Heritage Foundation. Hopefully it works out!

I had a fairly busy Friday. I met with Dr. Bobb in the morning to discuss my independent study with him this summer. It will be a fair amount of work so hopefully he does not go too hard on me. He did seem to understand how busy I would be with work so I'm not too worried. After work on Friday I rode the orange line to Fairfax, Virginia to see my friend Will. We had a nice, leisurely dinner and then went back to the house where he is staying this summer. I ended up spending the night there and getting up early this morning to head back here. Will has a photography internship which requires weekend assignments. Since there was a big "Race for the Cure" this morning in D.C., he had to be up early to cover that. Thus the early Saturday morning!

As for today, I mainly just sat around the house. I finished Lewis's "Screwtape Letters," caught up on e-mails, and made a few phone calls. Tomorrow is church and then afterwards I am meeting up with Liz at the Smithsonian! Should be a fun afternoon....

For now... I think I'm headed to bed... soon....

Why the name of my blog?

2009-06-06T23:04:00.004-04:00

Tonight is a two-post evening. This entry I will post the lines that inspired the name of my blog. They also demonstrate my own personal growth throughout the year. There is a necessity to "sit still" in life that is often ignored and neglected.

I first read this poem with Forrest and Josiah the day we all left for spring break. It is titled "Ash Wednesday" by T.S. Eliot. Below is the first stanza only.

Because I do not hope to turn again
Because I do not hope
Because I do not hope to turn
Desiring this man's gift and that man's scope
I no longer strive to strive towards such things
(Why should the agèd eagle stretch its wings?)
Why should I mourn
The vanished power of the usual reign?

Because I do not hope to know
The infirm glory of the positive hour
Because I do not think
Because I know I shall not know
The one veritable transitory power
Because I cannot drink
There, where trees flower, and springs flow, for there is
nothing again

Because I know that time is always time
And place is always and only place
And what is actual is actual only for one time
And only for one place
I rejoice that things are as they are and
I renounce the blessèd face
And renounce the voice
Because I cannot hope to turn again
Consequently I rejoice, having to construct something
Upon which to rejoice

And pray to God to have mercy upon us
And pray that I may forget
These matters that with myself I too much discuss
Too much explain
Because I do not hope to turn again
Let these words answer
For what is done, not to be done again
May the judgement not be too heavy upon us

Because these wings are no longer wings to fly
But merely vans to beat the air
The air which is now thoroughly small and dry
Smaller and dryer than the will
Teach us to care and not to care
Teach us to sit still.

Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death
Pray for us now and at the hour of our death.

Two Interesting Speakers

2009-06-04T21:48:00.002-04:00

I've had some time to think about Justice Thomas's remarks yesterday and figured I would share some of them with the rest of you. I should be able to post some of the pictures Will took of the event. It was an amazing opportunity and I am thankful for the chance to meet such a prestigious individual as Justice Thomas. The Wall Street Journal Opinion page wrote an article this week titled "How Hillsdale Beats Harvard." You can find the article by clicking here. As I was pondering why I am so thankful to have ended up at Hillsdale, I sort of put together Justice Thomas's remarks with a lecture I heard today.

First, however, Justice Thomas. If there was one thing Thomas seemed to emphasize, it was to take advantage of our education. It is through education that we learn character, especially traits like honesty. The first step to becoming an honest person is being honest with yourself. Justice Thomas also pointed back to a proper understanding of our founding as a nation as the only way to view the law and the constitution. This education is attained best through a Hillsdale like education... and by being here (in D.C.) right now. Good education will allow us to discern right from wrong. The standard Thomas uses when making decisions is "by what authority" is the government/plaintaff exercising its action. One can only answer this question by referring to the Constitution as correctly understood through education. Thus, Thomas spent most of his time discussing the importance of the type of education we ourselves were receiving at Hillsdale.

Today I attended a day long leadership conference for summer interns in D.C. I was not really impressed with many of the presentations to be honest... for a variety of reasons. What I did find interesting however, was a lecture given by a well-connected political operative. He has served as the chief of staff for numerous congressional offices and is currently the vice-president of the grassroots conservative networking group who presented the seminar I attended. Interestingly, he graduated from the Naval Academy with a degree in mechanical engineering! Obviously, he is not working in the field he trained for!

In fact the latest statistics show people change careers 6-8 times and jobs 8-10 times! The speaker revealed how at one point in his career as a congressional chief of staff he only hired English majors because of their writing/thinking skills... even though their "training" was not in political policy. According to this speaker, employers want to hire people based WHO they are, not WHAT they are.

Putting this into conversation with Thomas and the WSJ article makes me very thankful I chose Hillsdale because it helped lead me to liberal education. Referring back to some earlier posts I wrote on liberal education, it seems to matter a lot more today what kind of person you become as a result of your education. Going to college for a job, although the dominant idea of our culture, seems to have serious problems. Developing only one specialized part of your mind, might lead to some serious deficiencies in more important areas. Although I am not nearly as liberally educated as I would like to be, I am thankful that Hillsdale has opened my mind to ideas and principles that DO matter. I'm not sure what job I will be headed into, but this is not the time of my life to worry about a job. It is the time to make myself into the individual God has created me for, and that itself will hopefully prepare me for whatever job I end up in.

Work and Justice Thomas

2009-06-03T22:01:00.003-04:00

Another fascinating update for you all... especially those of you back home reading. Please don't be afraid to leave me comments or shoot me an e-mail. I try my best to stay in touch and/or respond. I am sorry if this post seems like a much of unorganized rambling. It probably sounds like it, because it is going to be. Agh... my writing just goes down the tube when I am not in school.

Exciting news first-- I got to meet Justice Clarence Thomas this morning. Myself and the 30 or so other Hillsdale students interning in D.C. arrived by 7:45am at the Supreme Court building this morning. After Justice Thomas gave a few introductory remarks, he let us ask him a number of questions. He gave a lot of good advice and some of his ideas behind helping restore proper constitutional government. I might blog later on about some of the more specific ideas he shared with us. I want a few days to let it all digest and my mind to process and think about his words.

It was nice to see more Hillsdale people today. After work yesterday, I walked around the mall and visited ole Abe at his memorial. Emily and I grabbed a quick bite to eat at a delicious sandwhich shop before I came home. Today I saw a lot of good friends for the first time in d.c.-- Will, Zach, Liz, and others. It is nice to see familiar faces!

I have begun to settle in at my internship. Keal the friendly staff assistant has been walking me around the tunnels and showing me how to get to places. All the office buildings are connected both to each other and to the Capitol. It is a confusing mess of tunnels and floors which I am still learning how to navigate to get from place to place. Most of it is not accessible to the public which is where my awesome Capitol Hill ID helps me out. I also ate lunch in the Rayburn cafeteria on Monday and it was surprisingly good. The food looks and smells tasty... I wish Hillsdale cafetaria (aka Saga) would learn something from the government.... (that is supposed to be ironic)...

I am also learning how to answer phones, deal with constituent issues, and learning basic office functions like how to make coffee and scanning/making copies. I also get to sit in on staff meetings... including the ones with Congressman Hoekstra. I assume that some meetings are probably off limits but thus far, I have been invited in. I have been assigned to work with our legislative counsel person named Zak on Congressman Hoekstra's Constitutional amendment on parental rights. You can check it out at http://hoekstra.house.gov/parentsrights/. Currently I am compiling a database of names and organizations that might be interested in supporting this bill on a grassroots level. There is little chance of it going anywhere with the Democratic congress and president who all seem to believe an 18 member panel in Geneva is better qualified than you are when it comes to raising your children. But we need to lay the groundwork to fight this nonesense and Congressman Hoekstra is taking the initiative by leading the charge on this legislation.

I think that's about all I've got for now. Tomorrow I will be attending this day long seminar for conservative interns in Arlington. Not sure what to expect, but I get a free lunch and a free dinner :D

More ramblings...

2009-06-01T22:52:00.005-04:00

First day of work went well. I hope to blog sometime this week about the exact work I will be doing this summer. I should have an even better idea after the end of the week.

I did want to blog about the metro and a few other random things. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed riding the d.c. subway system. It is a great place to watch people. It is weird to get on the stops closer to Capitol Hill and see the passengers look a lot like me. Young, college, interns. It is weird to actually be one of those young, college, interns this year. In the midst of the squeaky wheels in the dark underground tunnels of the orange line, I remembered how long I've wanted to be out here for a summer. I'm thankful for the chance.

I work at the Rayburn House office building. Congressman Hoekstra's office is in the corner of the second floor. He gets a nice corner office right by the bathrooms and the elevator because of his seniority and rank on the Intelligence Committee. Rayburn is a hideous building on the inside. No matter where you go, it looks the same. Oh well... The view outside is great. Right there is the US Capitol. Awesomeness.

Three offices down from me is Congrsesman Mike Souder from Indiana. My good buddy James returns next Monday for his second year as an intern for Congressman Souder. Lunch breaks will rock.

That's all for tonight. I will try to continue blogging when I can...

New Beginnings... in Washington D.C.

2009-05-31T21:35:00.002-04:00

So I made it down here safely Saturday afternoon. Julie and Emily (fellow Hillsdale students) met me at the airport which was kind of them. It makes arriving in a new city a little easier when you have people you know there to greet you. I arrived at the house where I am staying this summer around 1:30pm and took some time to unpack and sleep for a bit. After meeting my host family, who are wonderful people indeed, I watched the Red Wings destroy the Penguins in Game One of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

I worshiped this morning at Christ Reformed Church through whom I found my host family. It is a small congregation in a tough environment for traditional worship style. For many reasons, it is hard to plant and build a conservative reformed church in the D.C. area. Most interns attend Capitol Hill Baptist... which is probably where I would have gone it if weren't for my finding of a URC church in the area.

This afternoon I experimented with the bus system which will be part of my daily commute. Although the route was different today because of the weekend, I think I understand what I'm doing. I'll be up early leave and myself plenty of time tomorrow for my morning commute. The bus is actually cheaper than the subway especially if you transfer lines on the same trip. Thus, I will take advantage of any reduced fare I can get. If you are familiar with the D.C. area, I'll be bording at the Pentagon (yellow line) and take that to L'enfant Plaza which is the transfer point for the yellow, green, orange, and blue lines. After that it is two stops on the orange or blue line to Capitol Hill South. And then two blocks later is the Rayburn Office building where I will be working. I walked around Capitol Hill today and fell in love with it all over again. I am so glad to be here for the summer.

I met up with Dakota, another fellow Hillsdale student for dinner in Union Station. After receiving many free sampless from the restuarants in the food court, I ate delicious Japanese Chicken Teriyaki. Now I am back at the house dreading my early morning alarm. Hopefully things go smooth the first day on the job...

I will post more when I get a better idea what I will be doing this summer...

C.S. Lewis- the Sacred and the Secular (Part III)

2009-05-27T20:29:00.003-04:00

According to C.S. Lewis, a healthy love for country is also one that is mindful of the country's view of itself. If idealists within become the policy makers, their attempt to remake the world can become dangerous. Ideology itself once it overtakes a nation leads many to embrace a "false transcendence" of what is earthly and what is heavenly. Note the similar analysis to Eric Voegelin's claim that moderns always seek to immanentize the eschaton.

Lewis begins by establishing a more realistic role for a country to fight for. In the Screwtape Letters, Screwtape urges Wormwood to tempt the young man into making "the world an end and faith a means." With this accomplished, "it makes very little difference what kind of worldly end he is pursuing." With this in mind, war makes little difference in the normal human condition Lewis writes in "Learning in Wartime," "The war crates no absolutely new situations; it simply aggravates the permanent human situation so that we can no longer ignore it." In the Four Loves, Lewis distinguishes between fighting for the cause of one's country versus the cause of justice or any other attribute as a whole. When wars become abstracted they become less justifiable for men to die for.

In "Why I am not a Pacifist" Lewis criticizes those who believe that "the greatest permanent miseries in human life must be curable if only we find the right cure." Hence the fanaticism of many systematizers for men such as Marx, Darwin, Hitler, and Stalin all claimed to have the right answers. Rather than claim all the answers, Lewis encourages us to "work quietly away at limited objectives, such as the abolition of the slave trade, or prison reform, or factory acts, or tuberculosis, not by those who think they can achieve universal justice, or health, or peace." Attacking the "immediate evils" is far better than claims for "universal peace" which can never occur one earth.

Lewis cautions against the willingness to die for any cause a nation enters into. Again in "Learning in Wartime," Lewis reminds his readers that those who "surrender... without reservation to the temporal claims of a nation" risk surrendering the things that only belong to God. In the Screwtape Letters, Screwtape urges Wormwood to encourage the young man into a position where"Meetings, pamphlets, policies, movements, causes, and crusades matter more to him than prayers and sacraments and charity..." When man attempts to claim the things of God, Lewis writes in "Learning in Wartime" that man looks for a heaven on earth that will "turn the present world from a place of pilgrimage into a permanent city satisfying the soul of man."

In the Four Loves, Lewis claims that when ones particular country's cause becomes the "cause of God," wars will eventually become "wars of annihilation." Continues Lewis, "A false transcendence is given to things which are very much of this world." A unhealthy nationalistic spirit attempts to "borrow" the things of the heavenly society and use them in the earthly society to justify "the most abominable actions." This unhealthy mixing of the sacred and the secular is a violation of the Augustinian City of God/City of Man dichotomy.

The consequences of this way of thinking leads to potentially interesting consequences regarding the mixing of religion and patriotism. Such thoughts I continue to wrestle with as I learn how to love correctly my own country.

Lewis on the Teaching of History (Part II)

2009-05-27T10:49:00.002-04:00

In order to develop a healthy love for country C.S. Lewis attributes the proper education of a country's youth as necessary to instilling a correct view of the nation's past. Lewis specifically addresses the teaching of history, however, the education of children always encompasses knowledge as a whole. One should contrast Lewis's statements against both "liberal" or "conservative" educators who both seek to tell their own stories of how America came to be. As Dr. Gamble says "we are all born bad historians" and should thus attempt to learn carefully how to study and understand history. A proper understanding is vital for producing the right type of character within the human soul, that will allow him to discern good from evil, right from wrong, among human nature.

Developing proper historical consciousness is a topic that would take a book or two or three. A good friend of mine wrote his senior thesis on the work of John Lukacs who I would definitely recommend reading. Good historical method is the surest way to fight the evils of historicism and those who claim to have a "philosophy of history." Failure to understand history leads to serious miscalculations regrading some of the most fundamental questions of humanity.

In The Screwtape Letters Lewis warns against becoming either of two radical positions, "an extreme patriot" or "an ardent pacifist." Leading people into either of these extremes is a tactic of Satan that leads to destruction. Knowledge must go on even during times of war according to Lewis in his essay "Learning in Wartime." Says Lewis, "The pursuit of knowledge and beauty, in a sense, for their own sake, but in a sense which does not exclude their being for God's sake. An appetite for these exists in the human mind, and God makes no appetite in vain." Lewis continues:

... we need intimate knowledge of the past. Not that the past has any magic about it, but because we cannot study the future, and yet need something to set against the present, to remind us that the basic assumptions have been quite different in different periods and that much which seems certain to the uneducated is merely temporary fashion.

In another essay titled, "Why I am not a Pacifist," Lewis criticizes what he later calls the "chronological snobbery" of progressives who assume "human history is a simple, unilinear movement from worse to better- what is called a belief in progress so that any given generation is always in all respects wiser than all previous generations." These people seem to believe that "the whole world was wrong until the day before yesterday and now has suddenly become right." Such a belief in history lacks a proper understanding of human nature and historical consciousness.

In the Four Loves, Lewis's discussion on love of country takes him once again to the topic of education. It is easy for one to only look at the heroic actions of the past while failing to remembering that "the actual history of every country is full of shabby and even shameful things." Nonetheless, Lewis encourages people to be strengthened by the images of the past without being "deceived or puffed up." Such images only become dangerous when "mistaken or substituted for serious and systematic historical study."

How then do we teach our children so as to avoid an unhealthy nationalistic pride? Lewis turns to stories with the emphasis on the tale and the picture which "fires the imagination." This way of doing history avoids a type of patriotism that indoctrinates the young in "false or biased history" that assumes their particular nation is superior in people, culture, and tradition. A belief that somehow ones people are "chosen" might lead to fatal and dire consequences.

Lewis's reflections on the proper love of country seem to further cement the changing feelings I have about my own country. Coinciding with my newfound desire to work in education someday, Lewis helps put into perspective the necessity of correctly teaching history as a way to monitor the health of a country. Perhaps a reason for the current sickness of our own nation can be traced to the irresponsible ways we have handled history in the education of our children.

C.S. Lewis on the Love of Country (Part I)

2009-05-25T23:18:00.002-04:00

In the course of reading and re-reading C.S. Lewis over the past few weeks I've focused primarily on his writings regarding a healthy love of country. It seems as if Lewis also speaks of this in relation to three areas. First he always discusses a healthy love of country in contrast to an unhealthy nationalism. This makes sense in the context of Lewis's writings. Both world wars were the result of a nationalism so overpowering that it eventually became a destructive ideology. Second, Lewis discusses love of country in relation to the necessity of teaching good history. I find this an interesting connection on Lewis's part for it all of a sudden elevates the role of education in the ordinary lives of all people. Third and finally, Lewis always enters a discussion of the temporary versus the permanent, the dichotomy of the City of God and the City of Man. Confusing the two often leads dire consequences according to Lewis.

For this post, I will focus on the healthy love of country Lewis describes especially in relation to the sacrifice of the dead in war. Such thoughts are fitting as another Memorial Day has come and gone in America, and we as citizens remember the sacrifice of the many brave generations before us.

In The Four Loves Lewis emphasizes a patriotism that "asks to be left alone" for it values home, place, community, and a particular way of life. Such a man appreciates his own local customs and habits recognizing "all the things he would miss" if it were lost. Certainly, many of our soldiers have died for their home and families protecting those particular things about home that only they themselves could love and appreciate.

In his essay "Learning in Wartime," Lewis points out the worth in dying for ones country. However, such a tremendous duty is not worth living for as the only type of life worth living and dying for is spiritual in nature. It is from the sacrifice of war do we realize the reality of death and pain. Lewis observes that war is not unique to suffering for we will all most likely suffer as we ourselves die. Neither does war deprive men of a chance to have peace with God for its reality forces men to confront their eternity much sooner. What war does to death according to Lewis, is that it forces us to remember it. By making death real, we can be aware of our own mortality.

In The Screwtape Letters, Lewis through Screwtape reminds Wormwood how much better it would be if "all humans died in costly nursing homes amid doctors who lie, nurses who lie, friends who lie... promising life to the dying..." War threatens the "contented worldliness" that men often fall into for "In wartime not even a human can believe that he is going to live forever." Similar to "Learning in Wartime" Lewis notes the fragility of life that naturally accompanies war.

Lewis's brilliant but simple reminders encourage the citizen to love his country and remember those who died before us. The reality of death only helps us see more clearly the temporary state of the world we are in. A healthy love of country allows us to recognize our proper place in the world we live in and the place of those who have died before us.

Christian Humanism

2009-05-24T23:38:00.002-04:00

Humanism is the idea that men should become more of who they are intended to be. Education, specifically liberal education, is one method of achieving this. Indeed, the revival of culture and education in the Renaissance introduced further ideas of humanism from thinkers including Petrarch, Pico, and to some extent Machiavelli. Yet humanism unchecked can become nothing more than the worship of man even in his sinful state. Believing that men are created by God is an important recognition of who man is intended to be. If one accepts that man was created, as the Westminster Confession states, "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever," than true humanism is Christian Humanism.

This past spring semester saw my acceptance of Christian humanism under the influence of Dr. Birzer's class titled American Order and Disorder. The tradition of Christian humanism is found within a wide variety of thinkers in the Western tradition. The early church fathers including the Apostle Paul, St. Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas Christianized the Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle. Paul himself identifies Christian humanism in numerous places throughout his epistles with one of the most notable references occuring in Acts at Mars Hill where he claimed that in Christ we live and move and have our being. This tradition is carried through Augustine, Aquinas, Petrarch, Luther, Melancthon, Calvin, and many of the early American founding fathers. A revival of Christian humanism occured in the twentieth century to counter the rising secularism and ideology. These figures included T.S. Eliot, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein, Christopher Dawson, and Russell Kirk.

Indeed the Christian humanist understands the role of grace to sanctify the sin of the modern world and provide a way of escape from the false worship of man within humanism. Christian humanism reveals to man his place in the tradition and thus the world he lives in. Jesus Christ represents the true Logos who holds all things together. By Him all things are created and it is only when we rest in Him can we know who we are as individuals.

My own ideas as reflected in previous posts, and in the posts to come, are examples of the Christian humanism that has become part of my life. I hope to continue in the conversation of Christian humanism in a world that has long forsaken the true Logos, the Word that became flesh to dwell among us.

Not Knowing

2009-05-23T23:26:00.006-04:00

One of the most important lessons I learned this past school year was the transparency or opaqueness of knowledge. Within the context of especially modernity, ideologues desire to have complete knowledge of the world through the systems they implement. Their desire to create an earthly paradise often stops at no boundaries and is a reason for the unfathomable bloodbath that marks the 20th century.

But such ideas do not necessarily contain such terrible consequences. The desire to know things is human but finite man must come to terms early in his life, how limited he really is. No matter how many times we think we can "control our own destiny," perhaps the Lord's ways are much different than our own ways. Maybe in this world, there are some things we are NOT supposed to know.

I'm thankful for C.S Lewis's closing chapter in The Abolition of Man. These final words are meant as a warning for the man who desires answers at all costs so as to become his own god. Yet within the warning for the Christian, there is comfort. We do not need to know everything because God's plan is always best. When we seek to become more like Him we are better tuned to His will. Our prayer should not be to know, but to rest in Him.

Lewis writes in the final words of The Abolition of Man:
... the kind of explanation which explains things away may give us something, though at a heavy cost. But you cannot go on 'explaining away' for ever: you will find that you have explained explanation itself away. You cannot go on 'seeing through' things for ever. The whole point of seeing through something is to see something through it.... It is no use trying to 'see through' first principles. If you see through everything, then everything is transparent. But a wholly transparent world is an invisible world. To 'see through' all things is the same as not to see.

Sometimes attempting to see everything causes us to see nothing. Certainly ideologues in their attempt to enforce their view of the world on others, completely misunderstood the true nature of the world. Similarly, when we attempt to know everything we risk the chance of knowing nothing. It is good to find rest by trusting in God regardless of our circumstances.

Since last summer...

2009-05-20T23:08:00.001-04:00

It is remarkable to think about how much I've changed in one year. I view the world in such a different way it is almost like I am a completely different human. In a sense, I think I am "more human" in the way that education can only make one "more human."

I was thinking about the random events that sort of spurred the change in my thought. My close friend and current roommate at the time assumed responsibility for the Fairfield Society at Hillsdale effective in the Fall 2008 semester. The Fairfield Society meets on Thursdays at 5:45 and you are encouraged to bring your dinner into the private dining room where we meet and listen to a presentation by a student on whatever topic he or she desires. It is usually something on the mind of the student that he may desire feedback from. Often the struggle is finding students willing to present thus my friend began pestering me to share my thoughts.

About this time, I was interacting with another friend who was set to enter Hillsdale in the fall as a freshman. This particular friend was a staunch libertarian who saw the world a lot differently than I did. We spent many IM and phone conversations hammering out our positions. I remember one of these phone conversations in which I made an identical argument against abortion and gay marriage. Something triggered in my head that night and it is hard for me to pinpoint exactly what it was. I do know I began making the sort of connections in all that I had learned at Hillsdale the past two years. I began to understand why I thought the way I did in my understanding of the world. This led to a Fairfield Presentation which I will outline in my next post that definitely was landmark day in life...

I was not left alone to deal with these new ways of thinking. I am thankful for a certain senior, who recently graduated Hillsdale with departmental honors in history, for his time in continuing to help me piece together many different ideas. This past academic year I took the classes that allowed me to firsthand engage these ideas with the thinkers behind them. This is not to say I've learned all I needed to learn. It does say however, that the way I think now is completely different than the way I think last summer.

I think this is an integral part of learning that I've really began to enjoy. We are always modifying the ways we think as we continue to learn and grow as human beings. Our fundamental convictions do not necessarily have to change. In my libertarian friend's case, they have changed... for the better! But in my case, I still remain a reformed, Christian, conservative... who just happens to see things a lot differently than ever before.

I'm happy to be a part of this conversation... and thankful that God has placed me at a college where such changes to ones character are not only encouraged, they are strengthened.

Becoming More Human

2009-05-19T23:30:00.002-04:00

What is liberal education?

*An understanding of the unity of all knowledge. Think Newman's "circle" or even Paul's example of the "body." Liberal education seeks to educate with a broad range of subjects meant to give the student a wider perspective of the world.

*Desires to know the "ends" and "means" of things. By attempting to understand the "why" questions, liberal education strives to make sense of the purposes of things and the end that they are directed towards.

*"Free" in that it must be pursued without compulsion, and when pursued, it must be done for its own sake. Thus, liberal education avoids becoming servile to a lower end.

*Develops character and the well-ordered soul. It not only makes man more human, but for the Christian, helps one think and reason to a fuller capacity that resembles the great I AM.

*A condition of the soul that allows one to live a liberal life regardless of vocation or situation.

There's so much more... but these are some of the bigger ideas we discussed in my Artes Liberales course this past semester.

What does it mean to be human?

2009-05-18T23:30:00.002-04:00

What exactly does being created in the image of God (imago dei) mean for us as humans today?

Of course, it means a lot of things. And a complete answer might take a book! But considering knowledge for a bit... how does knowing things make us better pictures of God's image?

As men and women we have the ability to think and reason-- to know and to want to know more. We desire to understand the world we live in, the ends and means and purposes of things, and the big "why" questions of reality. Children sometimes best demonstrate this by constantly asking "why" for seemingly every single action. This is a natural human desire that is a reflection of the God-like nature within us. God is reason and knowledge and philosophy and wisdom. He refers to Himself as true being or the great I AM, and his sovereignty reflects His presence in reality.

The pagan Greek philosopher Aristotle recognizes this truth. "The good life" according to Aristotle, is accomplished when man has the ability to pursue the "higher things." Man must have the time to live a life of contemplation in the truths of wisdom and philosophy. This kind of life is what makes us most divine which in turn, makes us most human.

Why then must we learn? Why is it good to read and write, to know history, and how to add and subtract? Because it makes us more human. We would acknowledge that both the literate and the illiterate individual are both human. But one is definitely more "human" than the other. One is using the God-like facilities inherent within him more effectively than the other. Thus by exercising the God-given tools that most resemble Him, we become better conformed to not only reality on earth, but true being in Him. We become more of who we were created to become. More God-like and thus more human.

Might there be a way of life that helps us become fine tune our instincts to true reality? If so, how? I think education is one of the best ways we can pursue this kind of life.

Not just any education, but a very specific type known as liberal education...

"Employable" Jobs

2009-05-17T23:11:00.002-04:00

Let's depict a conversation I've grown to hate.

Anonymous Person- "So what is your major?"
Me- "American Studies/History"
Anonymous Person- "Oh... what are you going to do with that?"
Me- *Looks for something to bang my head against*

Three of my really good friends graduated (or will soon graduate) with engineering degrees this year. All of them did very well academically in college and landed decent to excellent internships over the past few summers. Of the three, one of them is going to graduate school at the university of Michigan. Another one might go to graduate school in the future. The other one has no plans to continue schooling. Of the two who are not entering graduate school in the fall, neither one of them has a full-time job lined up. The most they have as of now, are temporary summer jobs in the engineering field.

There is certainly nothing wrong with taking a temporary job while one looks for something more permanent. What I do find interesting is that the two of my good friends, who went to the job fields that were supposedly the MOST employable, do not have jobs after graduation! Indeed, I would be so bold as to claim that these are not isolated incidents. The job market is unsteady enough right now. One must also remember that many people hold various jobs over their lifetime. How many people actually end up working in jobs they went to college for?

Perhaps this reality should make us question the so called "employable" jobs. Maybe vocational/practical education is not the only thing America needs as we look to the future. I wonder if the purpose of education might be a little bit more than simply job training people who may either not have a job after college, or will work in a field completely different than they expected. It seems as if the world is full of professionally and well-educated people. The problems within our culture seem to go a bit deeper than a lack of sufficiently educated people who have at least some form of a college "degree."

This should lead us to examine ourselves and think about the way we do education. Maybe college is more about getting job. From my experience, I would sure hope so. Hillsdale has changed me a lot, but the most important changes have nothing to do with what job I will have someday... although they will definitely influence how I will view that job.

More on these thoughts in coming posts... It was definitely time to move on from the bleakness of modernity... ;)

RA= Really Awesome (experience)

2009-05-16T01:20:00.004-04:00

In a conversation with Cassie the other night, a fantastic RA in her own right, she asked what I felt was the most rewarding experience from being an RA this past year. To be honest, I was initially caught off guard with her question which sort of surprised me as I had been thinking over the past week how much I loved being an RA and looked forward to coming back as the student house director next year. I realized that it was not so much the question that caught me off guard, but the "where do I even begin?" response.

You really have to want to be an RA. The money is nice, but definitely not worth it if you are doing a good job and enjoying the benefits it offers. There is no way you could put a quantitative amount of compensation on a job in which the best rewards are unable to be measured by any artificial, empirical standard.

With that said, I learned this year how to listen on a fundamental level. Not listening for what I want to hear, but to actually hear what is being said and communicated. This is a simple part of conversation but is badly missing from our culture today. I learned how to care for the guys regardless of their attitude, grades, fraternity association, etc. I did not do this perfectly and this is something I want to improve on next year. But the best way I can serve them is by first caring for them. Finally, I most enjoyed watching freshmen grow over the course of a year. Many of them changed so much and became much more the human beings they are meant to be. What a privilege and honor to experience that journey with so many special guys.

Don't Immanentize the Eschaton!

2009-05-15T15:41:00.002-04:00

Immanentize the Eschaton (try saying that ten times fast). This ridiculous sounding phrase has changed my life considerably since the first time I heard it used in Dr. Gamble's Intellectual History of the United States. I knew right then and there that I was way over my head. But there was meaning behind the expression, and the past few years (and a few more semesters with Dr. Gamble) helped me see why immanentizing the eschaton is a very bad thing....

This intense looking fellow, Eric Voegelin, is the one who coined this fanciful sounding way of saying "bringing the kingdom of God to earth." "Eschaton" is a theological term referring to the kingdom of God and to "immanentize" something is to make it happen immediately. What is wrong with bringing the kingdom of God to earth? Isn't that what Christ came to do, and what we are commanded to do by the Great Commission, and what we ask in the Lord's prayer? Understanding the fault in immanentizing the eschaton requires a better understanding of Voegelin.

For centuries Christians have understood St. Augustine's famous work, The City of God, to be the best understanding of the relationship between our life in heaven and our life on earth. John Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress also plays on this theme reminding the Christian that we are pilgrims, living in a world that is not our eternal home. Our final resting place is in heaven, where there is true perfection and true happiness. These things can never be attained on earth for we are inherently sinful human beings. St. Augustine describes the City of God as heaven and the City of Man as the world we live in. This dichotomy is helpful in understanding the tensions between living here on earth in the temporary and seeking what is in permanent in heaven.

Eric Voegelin was a strict Augustinian in his understanding of the two cities. A harsh critic of modernity and liberalism, Voegelin suggests that the drive by many within modern times to create perfection on earth was a violation of Augustine's dichotomy. Indeed all ideology is an attempt by man to bring to earth what cannot be brought to earth. Many other thinkers agree. C.S. Lewis warns about making the "earthly" into something "transcendent." Similarly Russell Kirk criticizes those who try to create"earthly paradises" always resulting in "terrestrial hells." The 20th century, as stated in the previous post, has been the century of terrestrial hell. According to Voegelin, ideologues were men who confused what belonged in the City of God as something to be obtained in the City of Man.

Voegelin accuses modernists of stealing the symbols and myths of Christiainity. By breaking down the sacred and the secular, Christian teachings like the City of God and the City of Man mean nothing to those who have no respect for orthodox Christianity. Thus, those who immanentize the eschaton, do so with secularized assumptions. Whatever original meaning bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth once possessed, has been robed by those who think nothing of the things of God. Those who seek to immanentize the eschaton look different depending on the situation. They might be harmless utopians or tyrannical dictators. Regardless, all of them as T.S. Eliot writes, "Dream of systems so perfect, man will no longer need to be good."

For the Christian we understood that there are things that are permanent and timeless that occur on earth, but they never manifest in an ideology. Christians know the kingdom of God is something realized in a spiritual sense, not politically or materially. And only the King Himself is able to bring about that which He wills, not what man desires to make. A proper understanding of orthodox Christian theology is the surest safeguard to attempting to immanentize the eschaton.

Some Thoughts on Modernity

2009-05-14T00:55:00.001-04:00

Fyodor Dostoevsky writes in his "Notes From the Underground"

After all, we don't even know where 'real life' is lived nowadays, or what it is, what name it goes by. Leave us to ourselves, without our books, and at once we get into a muddle and lose our way- we don't know whose side to be on or where to give our allegiance, what to love and what to hate, what to respect, and what to despise. We even find it difficult to be human beings, men with real flesh and blood of our own; we are ashamed of it, we think it a disgrace, and are always striving to be some unprecedented kind of generalized human being. We are born dead, and moreover we have long ceased to be the sons of living fathers; and we become more and more contented with our condition. We are acquiring the taste for it. Soon we shall invent a method of being born from an idea....
[Emphasis added]

Dostoevsky brilliantly recognizes what modernity or life in the modern times has done to man. By mechanizing him as nothing more than an animal or a machine, man has lost not only his humanity, but his entire connection to imagination and myth, tradition, and fundamental institutions including family and community.

Indeed modernity is a term almost impossible to define in what I hope to be a fairly small blog post ;). Historians cite different events that triggered the beginning of modernity. To generalize, I'm understanding modernity as the advent of secular humanism and ideology that coincided with the triumph of empirical science, rational Christianity, and utilitarian and pragmatic philosophy. Roughly speaking, this started with the Enlightenment and culminated in the late 19th century. Modern thinkers include Darwin, Freud, Nietzsche, Spencer, Dewey, and of course the ultimate modern Karl Marx. These men and others convinced of their own righteousness, attempted to create the world as they would like it. Believing their assumptions about the most fundamental questions of humanity including what is God, what is man, and what is man's place in the order of things to be the most correct, ideologues and other moderns attempted to implement their system to fix the "problems" they identified in the world.

These systems, eventually given names like "Marxism," "Fascism," "Nazism," and "Communism," would have only one end to their schemes. Death--- in the form of 205 million lives lost in the 20th century. The so called "century of progress" is not marked by man's technology, but by the gas chamber, the gulag, and the death camp.

All this because man has misidentified both himself and his God choosing instead to act as "rational" creatures, born of ideas and ideologies. And so modernity, divorcing itself from all that is good, chose to compartmentalize the world into boxes so as to examine all the pieces and create the system that will finally get it right. This confusion of the universal with the particular, shatters the imagination which can no longer see the complexity within each and every man in history-- which is the story of man.

Whether or not we are in an age of post-modernity almost seems irrelevant. The blood of millions upon millions of people, many of them brothers and sisters in Christ, lies almost ignored in a world of chaos, death, and suffering. What does any of this matter to those of us in America, materially blessed and spiritually apathetic to our own ideologies of "liberalism" and "conservatism." The effects of modernism in America have seeped into nearly every aspect of American life- our familes, churches, schools, communities, etc all live and breath the language thoughts and ideas of modernity.

Is there a way to escape this?

Christopher Dawson offers one possible option:
“The only remedy is to be found in that spiritual force by which the humility of God conquers the pride of the evil one. Hence the spiritual reformer cannot expect to have the majority on his side. He must be prepared to stand alone like Ezekiael and Jeremy. He must take as his example St. Augustine besieged by the Vandals at Hippo, or St. Gregory preaching at Rome with the Lombards at the gates. For the true helpers of the world are the poor in spirit, the men who bear the sign of the cross on their foreheads, who refused to be overcome by the triumph of injustice and put their sole trust in the salvation of God.”

In an age of darkness, those like Dawson provide some hope admist a battle that seems all but lost.

Niedfeldt 2008-2009

2009-05-13T11:32:00.003-04:00

Photo courtesy of William Clayton.

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C.S. Lewis on Friendship

2009-05-12T21:39:00.003-04:00

I figured I might blog about some of the big ideas I've been wrestling with the past few years in college. It is impossible to record completely the many things I have learned. And the motivation might not be there while I am in D.C. or even back at school again. Who knows if anyone will read this anyways? But perhaps this is something worth doing for its own sake. Tonight, I'll start with what God has taught me regarding friendship.

Learning to take friendship seriously has been one of the most important journeys I have traveled during my time at college. Friendship was always something secondary to me, in that I viewed as necessary because of the benefits it might offer me. It seemed as if everyone had friends, which is why I also needed to have friends. No one wants to be friendless. There's a normalcy to friendship that humans seem to crave. Going to college introduced me to many wonderful friends. Every year I get what I believe is a clearer picture of what true friendship is. I thought I'd share some of my observations with the help of C.S. Lewis, whose chapter on Friendship in the Four Loves, remains one of the most influential writings in my life today.

Lewis distinguishes four primary loves, affection, friendship, eros, and charity. Of all these, he considers friendship the least necessary. After all, no one would exist without eros, nor would be properly cared for without affection. It is for this reason that friendship fails to receive any attention in the modern world, although Aristotle considered it a virtue, and Cicero wrote a book on it.

But as Lewis points out, few people value friendship because few experience it! There are many reasons for this, and Lewis meticulously explains why he believes few understand the true nature of friendship. He blames the suspicion that arouses when the collective sees the growth of individual friendships, an envious "democratic" sentiment that grows jealous when one may not be the friend of someone else, and the accusation that homosexuality may underlie deep friendships among the same gender. Lewis also clarifies the difference between companionship and friendship. For many people, those whom they would consider "friends" are simply "companions." Friendship is more than just sharing something in common. According to Lewis, it is a "shared vision" able to produce "an immense solitude." Friendship must be ABOUT something, friends must seek the same truth for it to be more than affection or companionship.

Lewis also suggests that friendship always desires to grow among others unlike eros, which needs to stay between two people, friendship always longs for new friends. The qualification to join, is the pursuit of a common interest, a transcendent truth that allows friends to look ahead at what they seek. Friends together seek something "more inward, less widely shared, and less easily defined." Continuing, Lewis beautifully writes, "we picture lovers face to face but friends side by side; their eyes look ahead."

Yet what are the rewards of true friendship according to Lewis? Lewis describes true friendship as "that luminous, tranquil, rational world of relationships freely chosen.... This alone of all the loves seemed to raise you to the level of gods or angels." It is this type of love that is "even as great a love as eros." It is not self-conscious for "eros will have naked bodies; Friendship naked personalities." This type of love is meant for its own sake. Writes Lewis

I have no duty to be anyone's Friend and no man in the world has a duty to be mine. No claims, no shadow of necessity. Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art, like the universe itself (for God did not need to create). It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.

Lewis also warns against the dangers of friendship, specifically pride and the type of exclusivity that exist so that we may bask "in the moonshine of our collective self-approval." Rather the true purpose of friendship is found within God's sovereign plan so that we might know Him better.

Friendship is not a reward for or discrimination and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each the beauties of all the others. They are no greater than the beauties of a thousand other men; by friendship God opens our eyes to them. They are, like all beauties, derived from Him, and then, in a good friendship, increased by Him through the friendship itself, so that it is His instrument for creating as well as for revealing.

I have been so blessed by not only these insights from Lewis, but the pictures of friendship God has shown me over the past three years. I can only hope that as I strive to be a better friend to those whom God has called me to love and serve, that the love I have for my friends, will be a shadow like that which exists between the angels.

Thoughts on Junior Year

2009-05-11T11:46:00.012-04:00

I believe learned more about life this past year than ever before. I still am unable to get over how fast the year went, but I am thankful it is finished. I will miss many friends, however, especially the seniors who were such an incredible part of my college community and are now moving on to other things. I am excited for this summer, the opportunity to go to Washington D.C. and spend some time with friends down there. I've compiled a list of sorts of some of the highlights of this past year along with a few quotations at the end which I think best summarize the important things I have learned.

*I took the best, most influential, and most difficult classes of my life this past year. Last fall I took Dr. Birzer's Sectionalism and Civil War remains my favorite history class at Hillsdale. I also took Dr. Westblade's Seminar on the Life of Jonathan Edwards which was not only a great spiritual blessing, but it provided me with a senior thesis topic on the Edwards's covenant theology. Both classes I took with Dr. Gamble this past year reintroduced me to St. Augustine's City of God and helped me understand the danger of the earthly borrowing from the transcendent in relation to America's religious identity.

*This spring I took Dr. Birzer's American Order and Disorder which focused on the problems of modernity, the error of humanism divorced from Christianity, and the power of the imagination as a means to understanding myth and the revealed Logos in history. From Russell Kirk to Eric Voegelin, I understand the reasons why modernity can never fulfill what it promises. Also, the lectures on T.S. Eliot forever changed my life and the way I view the world. I also took the "capstone" Hillsdale class, Artes Liberales. The class is taught by two professors, Dr. Whalen a professor of English and our associate provost, and Dr. Kalthoff our outgoing Dean of Faculty and current Chair of the History Department. For three hours on Wednesday afternoons, we talked about the importance of a liberal education, why and how one could pursue it, and the insufficiencies of modern day education, of vocational training, specialization, and practical knowledge. Liberal education is a lifestyle, a way to live with a well-ordered soul. This class tied in many of the big ideas that I had long been wrestling with, and synthesized great thinkers of the western tradition from Plato, to Aristotle, to Cicero, to Augustine, to Aquinas, to Melanchton, through many of the founders of the American Republic.

*I grew closer to many of my professors. I enjoyed many lunches and dinners with Dr. Gamble, Dr. Westblade, and Dr. Birzer. What a blessing to be at a school where the professors care about the spiritual and intellectual lives of their students!

*It was a blessing to see the growth of Hillsdale Orthodox Presbyterian Church and the community that Rev. Henes and his family worked to build among the students.

*I had an awesome year as an RA and was blessed with some of the most wonderful guys on campus. I also developed very close friendships, and strengthened many existing ones. I look forward to returning as the student house director of my dorm in the fall.

*Revived interest in the American Studies major at Hillsdale. I was elected president of the American Studies Honorary, Delta Pi Nu, and look forward to the coming year to recruiting new members and promoting stimulating intellectual discussion around campus.

*Building a campfire in the middle of winter, and reading G.K. Chesterton's "The Ballad of the White Horse" by the light of the fire.

*The many great nights of reading the Bible, T.S. Eliot, C.S. Lewis, and other great authors out loud in the dorm.

*Delicious taco nights at the Ramp with four amazing girls, Hannah, Elyse, Bethany, and Jami, three of whom graduated this past weekend.

*Many many many fun times. Dances, concerts, Michigan Football game, Detroit Tigers game, chilling at the Donnybrook (off-campus house with a number of good friends), fall break in Chicago, Spring Break in NYC, etc. It was the most stressful academic year, but there was also time for plenty of fun!

Here are some great quotations that changed my life and only begin to summarize this past year:

At the back of every discussion of the good society lies this question, What is the object of human life? The enlightened conservative does not believe that the end or aim of life is
competition; or success; or enjoyment; or longevity; or power; or possessions. He believes, instead, that the object of life is Love. He knows that the just and ordered society is that in which Love governs us, so far as Love ever can reign in this world of sorrows; and he knows that the anarchical or the tyrannical society is that in which Love lies corrupt. He has learnt that Love is the source of all being, and that Hell itself is ordained by Love. He understands that Death, when we have finished the part that was assigned to us, is the reward of Love. And he apprehends the truth that the greatest happiness ever granted to a man is the privilege of being happy in the hour of his death.
---Russell Kirk

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
--- T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding" from the Four Quartets

Teach us to care and not to care
Teach us to sit still.
--- T.S. Eliot, Ash Wednesday

Quarry the granite rock with razors, or moor the vessel with a thread of silk; then may you hope with such keen and delicate instruments as human knowledge and human reason to contend against those giants, the passion and the pride of man.

Knowledge is most truly free when it is philosophical knowledge...
--- John Henry Newman, Idea of a University, Discourse V.

Leisure, then as a condition of the soul-... is the disposition of receptive understanding, of contemplative beholding, and immersion- in the real.
--- Josef Pieper, Leisure the Basis of Culture

A new way of looking at things...

2009-01-04T20:32:00.006-05:00

You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalm 16:11

"You made us for yourself, and our hearts find no peace till they rest in you."
"You are my God, my Life, my holy Delight..."
"Confessions" St. Augustine

"That God in seeking his glory, therein seeks the good of his creatures: because the emanation of his glory (which he seeks and delights in, as he delights in himself and his own eternal glory) implies the communicated excellency and happiness of his creature. And that in communicating his fullness for them, he does it for himself: because their good, which he seeks, is so much in union and communion with himself. God is their good. Their excellency and happiness is nothing but the emanation and expression of God's glory: God in seeking their glory and happiness, seeks himself: and in seeking himself, i.e. himself diffused and expressed (which he delights in, as he delights in his own beauty and fullness), he seeks their glory and happiness."
"The End Which God Created the World"- Jonathan Edwards

"God does not exist for the sake of man. Man does not exist for his own sake... We were made not primarily that we may love God (although we were made for that too) but that God may love us, that we may become objects in which the Divine love may rest 'well-pleased.'"
"The Problem of Pain"- C.S. Lewis

Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they existed and were created.
Revelation 4:11

"Ought to's"

2008-12-30T14:24:00.004-05:00

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr, in his article "Natural Law" written for the Harvard Law Review November, 1918 writes:

"We all, whether we know it or not, are fighting to make the kind of a world that we all should like-- but that we have learned to recognize that others will fight and die to make a different world..."

"The jurists who believe in natural law seem to be to be in that naive state of mind that accepts what has been familiar and accepted by them and their neighbors as something that must be accepted by all men everywhere."

"... The question remains as to the Ought of natural law."

Holmes suggested throughout the piece that there are no "oughts" in the world we live in. By laying the foundation for legal pragmatism, Holmes desires a world without certainty and truth. Perhaps these ideas are the consequences of progressivism in American culture and politics. But I think the issue is more fundamental than progressivism, for the idea that man is purposeless in a dark world of chance Holmes calls the "Can't Helps."

In The Problem of Pain Lewis seems to identify this thinking as an element in all developed religion. It is the second of four strands their identify within Christianity:

"All the human beings that history has heard of acknowledge some kind of morality; that is, they feel towards certain proposed actions the experiences expressed by he words 'I ought' or 'I ought not.' These experiences resemble awe in one respect, namely that they cannot be logically deduced from the environment and physical experiences of the man who undergoes them."

Thus Holmes seems to be rebelling against one of the most fundamental assumptions of mankind. This is nothing new under the sun for man will always resist the truths of his Creator. Holmes may be among the first to introduce progressive ideas into our justice system. But these ideas are not new and certainly not original to Holmes.

Meditations on the "Meditations"

2008-12-27T00:38:00.003-05:00

Failure to observe what is in the mind of another has seldom made a man unhappy; but those who do not observe the movements of their own minds must of necessity be unhappy.

Men exist for the sake of one another; teach them or bear with them.

Enter into every man's ruling faculty; and also let every other man enter into yours.

Let no act be done without a purpose.

In one way an arrow moves, in another way the mind. Yet the mind, both when it cautiously examines the ground and when it is engaged in its inquiry, is nonetheless moving straight ahead and toward its goal.

Reading the "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius has been really refreshing. I love it how he understands the nature of man within a community. Thus man should be teachable and should learn from others seeking a higher purpose, which is the same goal of knowing truth.

Unity of the Bible

2008-12-25T23:46:00.003-05:00

"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman..."

-------

"For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given..."

The first passage is from Galatians (4:4) and the second is from Isaiah (9:6).

Amazing how the Bible should be read as a whole for its story is told as a whole.

Merry Christmas...

The Inner Ring

2008-11-28T21:02:00.003-05:00

The only certain rule is that the insiders and outsiders call it by different names. From inside it may be designated, in simple cases, by mere enumeration: it may be called "You and Tony and me." When it is very secure and comparatively stable in membership it calls itself "we." When it has to be suddenly expanded to meet a particular emergency it calls itself "All the sensible people at this place." From outside, if you have despaired of getting into it, you call it "That gang" or "They" or "So-and-so and his set" or "the Caucus" or "the Inner Ring." If you are a candidate for admission you probably don't call it anything. To discuss it with the other outsiders would make you feel outside yourself. And to mention it in talking to the man who is inside, and who may help you if this present conversation goes well, would be madness...

...But you have met the phenomenon of an Inner Ring. You discovered one in your house at school before the end of the first term. And when you had climbed up to somewhere near it by the end of your second year, perhaps you discovered that within the Ring there was a Ring yet more inner, which in its turn was the fringe of the great school Ring to which the house Rings were only satellites. It is even possible that the School Ring was almost in touch with a Masters' Ring. You were beginning, in fact, to pierce through the skins of the onion. And here, too, at your university-shall I be wrong in assuming that at this very moment, invisible to me, there are several rings-independent systems or concentric rings-present in this room? And I can assure you that in whatever hospital, inn of court, diocese, school, business, or college you arrive after going down, you will find the Rings-what Tolstoy calls the second or unwritten systems...

...I must now make a distinction. I am not going to say that the existence of Inner Rings is an evil. It is certainly unavoidable. There must be confidential discussions: and it is not only not a bad thing, it is (in itself) a good thing, that personal friendship should grow up between those who work together. And it is perhaps impossible that the official hierarchy of any organization should quite coincide with its actual workings. If the wisest and most energetic people invariably held the highest posts, it might coincide; since they often do not, there must be people in high positions who are really deadweights and people in lower positions who are more important than their rank and seniority would lead you to suppose. In that way the second, unwritten system is bound to grow up. It is necessary; and perhaps it is not a necessary evil. But the desire which draws us into Inner Rings is another matter. A thing may be morally neutral and yet the desire for that thing may be dangerous...

...My main purpose in this address is simply to convince you that this desire is one of the great permanent mainsprings of human action. It is one of the factors which go to make up the world as we know it-this whole pell-mell of struggle, competition, confusion, graft, disappointment, and advertisement, and if it is one of the permanent mainsprings then you may be quite sure of this. Unless you take measures to prevent it, this desire is going to be one of the chief motives of your life, from the first day on which you enter your profession until the day when you are too old to care. That will be the natural thing-the life that will come to you of its own accord. Any other kind of life, if you lead it, will be the result of conscious and continuous effort. If you do nothing about it, if you drift with the stream, you will in fact be an "inner ringer." I don't say you'll be a successful one; that's as may be. But whether by pining and moping outside Rings that you can never enter, or by passing triumphantly further and further in-one way or the other you will be that kind of man. I have already made it fairly clear that I think it better for you not to be that kind of man...

...As long as you are governed by that desire you will never get what you want. You are trying to peel an onion: if you succeed there will be nothing left. Until you conquer the fear of being an outsider, an outsider you will remain...

...And you will always find them hard to enter, for a reason you very well know. You yourself once you are in, want to make it hard for the next entrant, just as those who are already in made it hard for you. Naturally. In any wholesome group of people which holds together for a good purpose, the exclusions are in a sense accidental. Three or four people who are together for the sake of some piece of work exclude others because there is work only for so many or because the others can't in fact do it. Your little musical group limits its numbers because the rooms they meet in are only so big. But your genuine Inner Ring exists for exclusion. There'd be no fun if there were no outsiders. The invisible line would have no meaning unless most people were on the wrong side of it. Exclusion is no accident: it is the essence...

...The quest of the Inner Ring will break your hearts unless you break it. But if you break it, a surprising result will follow. If in your working hours you make the work your end, you will presently find yourself all unawares inside the only circle in your profession that really matters. You will be one of the sound craftsmen, and other sound craftsmen will know it. This group of craftsmen will by no means coincide with the Inner Ring or the Important People or the People in the Know. It will not shape that professional policy or work up that professional influence which fights for the profession as a whole against the public: nor will it lead to those periodic scandals and crises which the Inner Ring produces. But it will do those things which that profession exists to do and will in the long run be responsible for all the respect which that profession in fact enjoys and which the speeches and advertisements cannot maintain. And if in your spare time you consort simply with the people you like, you will again find that you have come unawares to a real inside: that you are indeed snug and safe at the center of something which, seen from without, would look exactly like an Inner Ring. But the difference is that its secrecy is accidental, and its exclusiveness a by-product, and no one was led thither by the lure of the esoteric: for it is only four or five people who like one another meeting to do things that they like. This is friendship. Aristotle placed it among the virtues. It causes perhaps half of all the happiness in the world, and no Inner Ring can ever have it...

...We are told in Scripture that those who ask get. That is true, in senses I can't now explore. But in another sense there is much truth in the schoolboy's principle "them as asks shan't have." To a young person, just entering on adult life, the world seems full of Insides," full of delightful intimacies and confidentialities, and he desires to enter them. But if he follows that desire he will reach no "inside" that is worth reaching. The true road lies in quite another direction. It is like the house in Alice Through the Looking Glass...

C.S Lewis- "The Inner Ring"

Be Real

2008-10-27T01:47:00.005-04:00

There's something inherently interesting about meeting people. This year I've been the most conscious I have ever been when it comes to introducing myself to those whom I've never interacted with before. First impressions are interesting but rarely accurate. I've learned part of the fun is follow up introduction after that initial awkward meeting stage is complete.

I've challenged myself to be real this year, even when I meet people for the first time. Enough with the superficiality I've only grown to hate more since I came to college. I've always hated fake people. People who care so much about their reputations, they forget to be honest, not only with themselves, but with their friends.

So this year I want to be real. People may not like it... and I'm working on that. But I'd much rather prefer honesty with people than acting like everything is okay when it is not.

Come Thou Fount

2008-08-04T21:47:00.002-04:00

It has always amazed me, that in a day and age where song writers struggle to write songs with applicable meaning, that many hymn writers of old already succeeded in this feat centuries before today's artists! Take the hymn "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." I am amazed at the theological richness found within the hymn that is easy to overlook when singing it.

First Stanza:
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love

The author, Robert Robinson, recognizes that it is God who must tune our hearts to sing of the grace of God in songs of loudest praise. The Lord must teach us this "melodious sonnet" of His redeeming love. Our salvation is not something we earn or achieve through our own merit. The hymn writer writes that God tunes and teaches us to sing of the love of His redemption for us.

Second Stanza:
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I'm come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood.

Ebenezer is an Old Testament reference to "God who has helped us." Certainly the Lord has come to our rescue from sin bringing us home to fellowship with Him. Once again the author notes how Jesus sought us when we were strangers wandering from God. "Interposed" is a key word referencing the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross taking our sins as His own. There was nothing we could do that deserved this sacrifice. Left to our own devices, we had wandered away! Christ did not only die for us, He also came sought to rescue us. What an amazing Savior we have!

Stanza Three:
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let that grace now like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above

I think that might be my favorite stanza. When we think of the concept of being a "debtor" to something, a negative connotation immediately comes to mind. We do not want to be in debt. Sin is a debt. It is a debt that continues to grow larger and larger to the point where we would never be able to pay it off. Imagine a debt like that in your personal life. A debt that grows by the millions per year while you only made a tiny fraction of that amount. Even if you paid some of it off, the debt would only grow larger. But Christ is our sacrifice. He paid that debt for you and me. And now we are debtors but no longer to sin, but to His grace. And as we live day by day in the process of sanctification, our debt to grace increases and increases. But this is not a bad thing as the author notes for he wishes to be "constrained" with a fetter to the Lord.
The author recognizes the tendency in man to wander. But through the grace of God we can constrained and bound to Jesus Christ forever. What a wonderful promise that our Father gives to us.

Truly this treasured hymn of the church has much to teach us when we stop for a moment to meditate on its words.

Mark 5:25-34

2008-07-21T20:03:00.002-04:00

25A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years, 26and had endured much at the hands of many physicians, and had spent all that she had and was not helped at all, but rather had grown worse-- 27after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak. 28For she thought, "If I just touch His garments, I will get well." 29Immediately the flow of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. 30Immediately Jesus, perceiving in Himself that the power proceeding from Him had gone forth, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My garments?"31And His disciples said to Him, "You see the crowd pressing in on You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'' 32And He looked around to see the woman who had done this. 33But the woman fearing and trembling, aware of what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth. 34And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace and be healed of your affliction."

Although this is a familiar passage, I think it is a good reminder of how intentional Christ acted here on earth. Even His miracles point to a higher purpose, picturing His own actions as Lord. The woman in the crowd suffering from a bleeding disease would have been considered unclean within Jewish society. Such a curse would have prevented her from worship in the temple and fellowship with God's people. She was denied the right to participate in one of the most important aspects of culture- that being the act of coming together with her people to worship Jehovah.

Similarly, before we are justified through Christ, we are unable to have full communion and fellowship with the Lord. Our sin prevents our worship with the Creator as we are unclean with sin. Like the woman, we seek the help of outside sources spending time and money where we will not find help. We look to our own strength and the wisdom of the world for answers. However our own actions will not satisfy our healing and restoration to fellowship with the Lord. We must come before Him humbly, on our knees in faith, knowing that when we are drawn to Him, Christ provides healing and salvation.

Jesus chose not to ignore the woman rather taking the time to note her faith. He will also acknowledge us before the Father as our Mediator and the Savior of our sins. Because of His work on the cross, we are no longer unclean. How marvelous this miracle of Jesus to not only do a wonderful thing in the life of a suffering woman, but to also show a picture of His remarkable work of salvation in the lives of suffering humanity!

Summer Hopes

2008-07-10T22:41:00.003-04:00

“We have within ourselves
Enough to fill the present day with joy,
And overspread the future years with hope.”

-Wordsworth

Six weeks from yesterday I move back down to Hillsdale. I am honestly really excited- and optimistic- for whatever the next year will bring. Days like today remind me why I am pursuing knowledge at a college like Hillsdale. Being frustrated with a summer job seems like such a pointless waste of emotion. Yet it is hard for me to be apathetic about anything, hence I tend to become frustration when something I invest it does not work out. Regardless, it has been my hope and prayer this entire summer for the Lord to bless this upcoming year. I am reminded however, that God is faithful and sufficient. My happiness is in Him not because He does what I want Him to do, but because I grow closer to Him and His will each day.

We live and interact in such an emotion driven culture. Everything is subjective to the current state of our feelings. Think of how often our initial reaction is "how we feel" about it. There's nothing wrong with our emotions, but I am thankful that God is teaching me not to overlook His truth within our emotions and feelings.

It is true that within ourselves we can offer joy each day and hope to our future. But such hope is based also on our emotions and feelings which can deceive is. When we conform to God and His will, He will be within us. He will be our joy and our hope. He will be sufficient for all our needs.

Reformed Theology

2008-07-02T22:34:00.000-04:00

Listening to John Piper and Sovereign Grace sermons on the ipod at work has prompted a renewed personal appreciation for Reformed theology. Growing up in the reformed tradition, its teachings were definitely something I took for granted without truly understanding the meaning. Yet now they have become a source of comfort for me at this point in my life. Even though so much of life changes, knowing that my faith remains rock solid has been assuring rather than disconcerting, as answers sometimes can be. Especially, if they are answers that are not popular with modern culture.

By recognizing that our depravity is actually GOOD news because of the sacrifice of Jesus, I have realized that the Christian life is never about yourself. It never seeks to bring glory or credit of any kind to the individual. This fact alone has been comforting because when I look at myself, I see someone who does not even come close to receiving any sort of credit for anything I have ever "accomplished." My salvation especially, is not something I deserve any recognition for.

The process of sanctification must continue if we are to live in Christ. What a struggle to live each day trusting Christ all the time for the renewal of our mind and heart away from ourselves and into His likeness...

west michigan weather from this past weekend

2008-06-08T19:13:00.010-04:00

The raging storms may round us beat,
A Shelter in the time of storm
We’ll never leave our safe retreat,
A Shelter in the time of storm.

God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea And rides upon the storm.

There’s not a plant or flower below, but makes Thy glories known,
And clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from Thy throne;
While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that we can be, Thou, God art present there.

I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth." Genesis 9:11

Summer 2008

2008-05-18T22:43:00.002-04:00

Is it too early to want to go back to school already?

all done.....

2008-05-08T23:40:00.002-04:00

Sophomore year is finished. Finally, although not really. What an amazing year full of amazing memories. I have much to be thankful for.

Work and play are never okay to mix the way you do...

Crunch time

2008-04-07T00:27:00.002-04:00

Good thing I rested over Spring break. It's been absolutely insane since I've been back. I do believe this is my busiest semester yet. Two major history term papers plus an English class with an average amount of reading and writing. It's the Westblade class that is making things interesting right now.
Only a few more weeks left. I really am not ready for this year to end and I am already excited for the next year to begin. School year that is. For now I have to work hard, sleep less, and get good grades...

April is the cruellst month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.
Winter kept us warm, covering
Earth in forgetful snow, feeding
A little life with dried tubers...

Spring Break '08

2008-03-21T01:31:00.002-04:00

Spring Break= time with friends, warm weather, and no homework... maybe not so much.

Rather I have caught up on my Westblade outlines, wrote a rough draft for a term paper, and nearly finished a book for another class. Squeeze in some C.S. Lewis for some fun.

No wild drinking stories this spring break...

Restlessness

2008-03-19T00:45:00.002-04:00

Thou madest us for Thyself, and our heart is restless until it repose in Thee

Springtime is here. But I don't think that is the only change arriving. What if the good things always stayed the way they were...

And all you see is where else you could be
When you're at home out on the street
Are so many possibilities to not be alone...

Authenticity

2008-02-19T01:11:00.002-05:00

Two nights straight. I think this sets a record. Well for this blog anyways...

I think you are either authentic or you are not authentic. Okay so maybe it's not that easy to figure out or decide upon, but for the most part I think it is one way or another. Everyone can be dishonest, but the way to truly tell authenticity are the ones who are truly honest with who they really are... and all the ways they are messed up in this world...

That doesn't mean that things don't change ever. But I think the person shouldn't, at least who the person really is...

Maybe it is all a matter of perception...

Get over it...

Community

2008-02-18T01:10:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posting....

A word on community. I don't have the answers figured out to this concept yet, but I am sure I know what it is not. The word "community" gets tossed around a lot here at Hillsdale... I wonder how many people actually understand it when they use it.

I do know that I don't need to join or do anything for the kind of relationships and community I desire. I want authenticity- is that too much to ask for anymore?

How come I never realize how good I have it... until it is gone?

The End of an Era

2008-01-02T00:47:00.000-05:00

Since everyone else seems to have an opinion I thought I'd give mine too :P

I'm not going to lie- I was yelling for Carr's head on a stick after Appalachia State. In fact I was becoming more and more disgruntled when it became apparent Michigan was simply no match for USC... and Ohio State. Lloyd Carr appeared too conservative, too old fashioned, and incompetent to meet the changing demands of college football. At Michigan we like to win-- a lot. Of course everyone likes to win, the difference at Michigan being, that we actually do win. And when we don't, we get mad. And eventually, something will be done so that we win again.

Being my usual pessimistic self, I picked Florida to win by 5 touchdowns today. I obviously had too much to drink on my birthday- or maybe I just didn't believe that Michigan could ever beat the might Urban Meyer. But from the minute Michigan opened the game with a spread... I knew... maybe Lloyd Carr had something up his sleeve after all.

I noticed something today. Michigan actually wanted to win. They actually believed they could win. They knew they had nothing to lose, rather they had something they truly believed in. They were sick of the ESPN analyst sitting in his comfortable chair in a climate controlled studio drinking coffee with excessive amounts of cream and sugar telling them that the Big Ten cannot compete with the SEC. They were annoyed with the rumors that Carr was inept at his job and that Michigan football was not the same as it always had been. They did something about because they tried-- and for the first time in a long time, played like they really wanted to win.

I do not know why Lloyd Carr did not try the spread earlier. Why he stuck to the same ineffective formations and routes and game plans for so long in the big games. I do not know why Michigan was good enough today to win when they had played in similar big games in the past. I do know that Carr restored the pride that Michigan fans have for their program. He also made us realize what we are going to miss. Although we can look forward to the future, we must recognize and appreciate the past. Michigan fans are truly blessed with the opportunity to do both.

Community

2007-12-16T22:25:00.000-05:00

Something I learned a lot about this past semester was the concept of community, specifically in the dorm I live in. Community is a word that gets tossed about a lot in our society today. I think there are many uses for it, not all of them merited. I myself have a lot to learn about what true community is. But I think I learned a lot this past year...

I've always had the privilege of having an amazing group of friends ever since I started attending Hillsdale. Freshman year I learned the importance of building a strong community of people that would be your support base- especially during the college years and especially at a challenging school like Hillsdale. This group of friends became my community and my family during my freshman year. We did most everything together. Whether it was movies (theater or on campus), studying, cooking and eating, or whatever else happen to came up, I spent a lot of time with the same group of friends. I am so thankful I had them to go back to at the beginning of this year and look forward to growing with them throughout the remaining years of college.

This year another community grew within my life that was not necessarily expected. Within my dorm- the one with the reputation for being quiet with the doors closed- grew into an amazing community of Christian guys that I hope to continue developing great relationships with. Community became a part of my life to the extent that I enjoyed working in my room and just hanging out with whoever was around. Whether it was talking about nothing until 3am, making random MacDonalds runs, or reading countless English papers, community was something I desired and sought after...
And it is well worth the effort. Although community cannot be forced, I realized that sometimes one must make an effort to foster community. I do not think things happen by chance... I am grateful for this past year and look forward to what next semester brings...

Meanwhile I will continue to ponder the concept of community...

Niedfeldter's minus one...

2007-12-14T00:49:00.001-05:00

The roommates!

David...

Most of the guys for a picture with David. Apparently David is not coming back next semester. So yeah... this post is for David... for the awesome semester... and the great memories...

Late Nights/Distractions/Finals Week

2007-12-09T01:51:00.000-05:00

Lots of random stuff here tonight. So much of my life is structured. Class time. Time outside class. Paper writing. Debate speeches (HA!). Okay maybe not a *lot* of my time is structured, but too much of it is. As least for my liking. Therefore you get a random and unstructured post tonight.

First... hmm... I really like staying up late. Pretty much everyone who knows me understands my late night habits. For some reason I can think clearly at night. My thoughts understand what I am reading. They can focus better than any other time of the day. In all honesty, I am never tired. I am tired mornings and afternoons and evenings. But I wake up completely past midnight.

Distractions are amazing. I don't think I've ever had a bad one. At least this semester. People have distracted me from my work. Which hasn't been bad because I haven't had a ton of work comparatively. Next year might be different. But for now I enjoy every chance I get for conversation. Every opportunity to learn something about someone's personality that never struck me before. Such things are worth it, and I am blessed....

The end of the semester brings many emotions for me. I am going to miss being gone from my friends, and from my home here at school for the entire four week break we get. I am trying not to think about how soon it will come. The goal of course is, to enjoy this week as much as possible.

I simply hope that I am understood... that what people see in me is what they truly get...

.... Random ...

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T23:29:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving. I guess that's all I have to say now... Yes I know... I am lame...

Charity Ball!

2007-10-03T13:11:00.003-04:00

Pictures from the Charity Ball. These are here for the primary benefit of my mother. But enjoy whoever else happens to be reading this.

Sam and I...

Josiah and Andrew

J-Brew, Betsy, Katie, and I

Andrew and I in deep thought...

... I hate midterms...

The 'Feldt

2007-09-20T01:01:00.000-04:00

So this year is definitely different than last college year. My dorm is actually a great place to live. I really enjoy the community in Niedfeldt this year. The fact that there were more girls in my room tonight than there were all of last year. Maybe I'm just nicer. But I think its partly because the 'Feldt is so inviting this year with all the awesome freshman who have moved in and adjusted well. I really don't prefer to leave during the evenings. Maybe this will change. But I kind of hope not. I think I am going to go to bed now...

Hillsdale- 3rd Semester

2007-08-30T00:26:00.000-04:00

Here I am again back in Hillsdale and starting to transition into my new schedule. Yet I made such a transition difficult in part because of my involvement with a seminar on Revolutions conducted by a 93 year old don at Oxford University. James, Stephen, and I agreed to work on various revolutions in the Middle Eastern nations of Iran, Iraq, and Turkey. It should definitely be a fascinating experience although it only lasts the first three weeks of the semester. In the meantime, my Mondays and Wednesdays are swamped with classes going from 9am to 9pm.

I am also continuing my career in college debate which is also proving to be a greater obligation with the arrival of a new debate coach. I have a new job this year, in the admissions office giving tours of the campus to prospective students. So with all of this in mind, the new school year is proving to be just as exciting as the first year. But I am oh so glad to not be a freshman anymore...

Classes are really good thus far. I almost feel kind of overwhelmed by taking both an upper level history and english course. I hope to devote enough time to my semester long 15 page research paper on the topic of American non-interventionism in the 1920's.

Since I am in a rambling mood, I must also confess that my stomach continues to hate me for eating the food around this place. Although that might be a slight over exaggeration, I continue to wonder how I made it through an entire year eating around this place...

Niedfeldt continues to be the place I call home this year. I am so glad I came back for another year here. The freshman appear to be really nice and there is so much more involvement and community here than last year. My procrastination from Spanish homework (which is from El Diablo himself) led me to waste a good half hour of my time sitting out in the lobby with 5-10 other freshman and upperclassmen talking about the most random of subjects. My college experience is now complete as I now better understand the idea of true community in a dorm.

Hope anyone who happened to read this managed to stay awake... time to get back to that Spanish homework...

College Football- BCS predictions

2007-08-15T16:49:00.001-04:00

Because you all have been so eagerly anticipating... Here are my predictions for the 2007 College Football BCS games. If you wish, go ahead and list yours (Or if you're Garrett, go ahead and write a counter-post). We shall see who's brilliant display of knowledge comes out on top in the world of college football.

Rose Bowl-
Michigan(11-1) versus Texas (11-1)
Big time rematch that the media will absolutely push for. Both teams will drop a game preventing them from playing for the title.
Winner- Michigan (How could I not?)

Sugar Bowl-
West Virginia (10-2) versus Florida (10-2)
There is no reason West Virginia cannot exploit a weak Big East to get themselves into a BCS game. Urban Meyer gets his team back into a BCS game although not for the title this time.
Winner- Florida

Fiesta Bowl-
Oklahoma (11-1) versus Wisconsin (11-1)
Both teams are due for BCS appearances. Despite the fact that both teams have a quarterback issue, defense and intangibles should get them into a January Bowl at the least.
Winner- Oklahoma

Orange Bowl-
Virginia Tech (11-1) versus Tennessee (10-2)
Toughest one to pick for me. I still think Louisville, Georgia, and maybe even a California team all have legitimate shots at sneaking in one of these bowls. Virginia Tech I am more sure about. They are once again loaded defensively and should lose only to LSU this year.
Winner- Virginia Tech

National Championship-
USC (12-0) versus LSU (12-0)
Yeah I know I am being cautious. But one cannot ignore how powerful both teams are going to be... again...
Winner-USC

The End of Summer

2007-08-12T21:35:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of summer, I wrote a post titled "The Beginning of Summer." Creative isn't it? I think that is when I came up with the crazy idea to not drink pop for an extended period of time. The ideas I come up sometime..
It does not seem like it should be the end of summer. It has not sunk in yet that this is my LAST week at home, even as other friends are headed back to their schools for RA training.
There is much to think about concerning this summer. It was pretty quiet in many ways as friends from high school continue to go in different directions. Even more of them became engaged, or got married.
California would be the definite highlight of the summer. I am so glad I spent the money and took the time off from work to make so many amazing memories with the Howards.

The news from this past weekend is a sobering way to end the summer. Life can end so fast, even to those one least expects it to end for. My heart aches for all those mourning for their son and daughter, their brother and sister, their grandson and granddaughter. Life can end so fast--- it is almost unfair...

True Baseball Heroes

2007-07-30T19:35:00.000-04:00

As of July 30, 2007 Barry Bonds career home run count stands at 754, one away from tying Hank Aaron as the all time home run leader in baseball history...
On a completely unrelated note (perhaps), Major League baseball inducted two of its finest into the Hall of Fame yesterday.

In a day and age where the overwhelming majority of our athletes in every sport disgust the common American with a lifestyle of extravagance and arrogance, the words and actions of Ripken and Gwynn remind Americans why baseball is truly America's great past time- and why they are its perfect representatives.

In the words of Ripken at his induction speech in front of a record crowd of 75,000 in Cooperstown, New York-

"As years passed, it became clear to me that kids see all, not just some of your actions, but all. Whether we like or not, we big leaguers are role models. The only question is, will it be positive or will it be negative? Should we put players up on pedestals and require that they take responsibility? No. But we should encourage them to use their influence positively to help build up and develop the young people who follow the game. Sports can play a big role in teaching values and principles. Just think. Teamwork, leadership, work ethic and trust are all part of the game, and they are also all factors in what we make of our lives."

"As I experience another new beginning with this induction, I can only hope that all of us, whether we have played on the field or been fans in the stands, can reflect on how fortunate we are and can see our lives as new beginnings that allow us to leave this world a bit better than when we came into it."

"Where would any of us in this game be without the people who love the game and their teams and who even make trips to events like this long after we've put down our gloves and bats? I know some fans look at the streak as a special accomplishment, and while I appreciate that, I always looked at it as just showing up for work every day."

"As I look out at this audience I see thousands of people who do the same -- teachers, police officers, mothers, fathers, businesspeople and many others. You all may not receive the accolades I have throughout my career, so I'd like to take the time out to salute all of you for showing up, working hard and making the world a better place. Thank you all."

Gwynn echoed similar sentiments-

"I never really looked at what I did as anything special- I loved the game. I think that's why you guys are here today. You loved the game, you have a passion for it. I had a passion for it; I still have a passion for it."

"My father said, 'If you work hard, good things will happen,' and he was absolutely right. I worked hard in the game, because I had to. I wasn't talented enough to just get by on ability. I had to work at it."

"I think the fans felt comfortable enough in us, they could trust us and how we played the game, especially in this era of negativity. I don't think there's any question about that."

"When you sign your name on the dotted line, it's more than just playing the game of baseball, you've got to be responsible and make decisions and show people how things are supposed to be done"

On contrast--

“I need to win, man. I've had numbers, but I've never won a World Series.”

“It's called talent. I just have it. I can't explain it. You either have it or you don't.”

“Sometimes I surprise my own damn self.”

- Barry Bonds

Make the decision to support real athletes. The only hope for the continuation of real virtue in professional sports is that athletes like Gwynn and Ripken remain alive and action within society.

Work

2007-06-27T22:05:00.000-04:00

Work... the dominating force in my life right now. One day to the next... countdown to California is well in progress. After that I will start counting down the days til school starts. It is not that I dislike my job. It is that I do not enjoy my job. That is the hope isn't it? That college will lead to a job one can enjoy.

The Bible always seems to provide the answer for the questions floating around within my mind...

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
-Jeremiah 29:11-13a

A lucky asian????... and Ron Paul too...

2007-06-25T21:42:00.000-04:00

I had an interesting conversation with a Ron Paul supporter last night. This distinguished gentlemen, and a very good friend of mine, is supporting Paul in the GOP. In his words, when it comes down to it he agrees with Paul on the most important of issues. However, my main complaint with Paul hopefully stuck in the mind of my friend, and my arguments for why one should not Paul remained in my thoughts while I notching support bars at work today.

I do not think supporters of Paul understand that their support of him, aligns themselves with the liberal left on foreign policy. Paul supporters in fact have much in common with Hillary Clinton, Al Gore, John Kerry, Barack Obama, and even Michael Moore and Cindy Sheehan. Inspiring isn't it?
One does not have to agree with the war in Iraq to understand America's role in the world today. Ever since the Monroe Doctrine, America felt some sort of an obligation to protect free nations from tyranny against their will. Yes America has made many mistakes, and one can spend the entire day arguing over the actions of Bush in Iraq, however the reasons for entering the war are completely irrelevant. The issue now is the present.

Today isolationists like Paul, and liberals like Clinton cry out for our immediate withdrawal from Iraq. Although I wish as much as anyone for the troops to return, such an action would be disastrous for our reputation for freedom and our commitment to victory.
Why do liberals always want us to run? Why did they cry out for appeasement for Russia, a pull out from Vietnam, and now an abandonment of the War on Terror? Why did Bill Clinton decide to run so quickly out of Somalia, a move that only emboldened Islamic terrorists?
To run after so many lives have been in Iraq lost is simply disgraceful to our military. Without America's commitment to freedom and peace in the Middle East, the entire region will be lost. Perhaps this is a futile effort, but it is one America must finish until there is no more hope for success.

What does this have to do with me? If America had not been committed to fighting tyranny for freedom, we would have never fought Hitler in WWII. We would never have established and later died for freedom in Korea. Without this commitment, I exist as one in millions of poor, destitute, and hopeless people enslaved under some form of Far Eastern tyrannical government. Not only has America's 'imperialistic" action given me a shot at freedom, our character and compassion, expanding to those of other nations, has given me the opportunity to live here, raised within a Christian family and church, and in turn allowing for the gift of salvation.
Were America the kind of nation Clinton, Obama, and Paul envision, it is highly unlikely that I ever have the opportunity America presents me. It is even more unlikely, that I receive the salvation found within Jesus Christ adoption offered me. This is not a result a luck, rather a plan no doubt carried out by Someone with a higher purpose for America than an idealistic nation that minds its own business.
I apologize for the length of the post. My point is simple. Before you embrace the idea of people like Paul and Michael Moore, think back to the gift of freedom. Perhaps for some of you, it is easy to take for granted. It is cliche to wave the flag and sing God Bless America But for others like me, it is something I live with gratefulness to my God and country every day.
May America continue to protect the freedom she possesses, and offers to almost anyone who also desires it.

Political Buzz...

2007-06-19T19:39:00.001-04:00

Latest political buzz...

The big story appears to be the change in heart of Michael Bloomberg who switched parties today. Although elected as Mayor of New York City as a Republican, Mr. Bloomberg feels that his constituents are better served if he is non-partisan. However, this only intensifies the rumors of Bloomberg's run for the presidency as an independent. Rasmussen has some interesting thoughts and poll numbers on the effect of a Bloomberg candidacy. Bloomberg could definitely threaten the Northeastern States from Democratic control, but pull GOP votes from other parts of the country as well. The Bloomberg effect is hard to measure right now, but it should not be overlooked especially as many are expecting an official announcement soon of his candidacy.

A new NBC poll in Iowa with a margin of error of +/- 5% -- Clinton has at 22%, Edwards at 21%, and Obama at 18%. Richardson comes in fourth at 6%, and Biden gets 4%; no other Dem gets more than 2%. But a whopping 27% say they are undecided.

On the Republican side, Romney has the clear lead at 25% (even over "undecided," which checks in at 21%). He's followed by Thompson at 17%, Giuliani at 15%, Huckabee at 7%, and McCain and Brownback at 6% each. No doubt the immigration bill has seriously affected the campaign of John McCain.

Speaking of that immigration bill, a majority of Americans actually may support it than many on the other side are portraying it. Pew reports the number above 63%, although it does note that those who oppose the bill, seem to be more vocal about it. Michelle Malkin's brilliant idea appears to be tossing out politicians trying to get these issues resolved for America. People like Malkin are as useful as a Texan snow shovel. As if the GOP will not have enough trouble in 2008, let alone a bunch of primary challenges on already weakened senators. I wonder what these lunatics will think of next...

As far as 2008 goes for retaking the Senate, the GOP has once again run into more of its infamous recruiting problems. Once again the GOP is headed towards another potentially crushing November election. What are the GOP and conservatives going to do to prevent this?

Immigration Debate- Ashamed to be a conservative...

2007-06-09T17:20:00.000-04:00

Immigration has once again risen to the very front of debate within American policy. A bill that initially looked ready to pass with the support of many influential Senators including Kennedy, Feinstein, McCain, and Kyl now appears to be on its last breath as both the far left and the far right have successfully derailed many of its key amendments.
The defeat of this bill signals potential backlash against many in the GOP. Not only does this reveal how weak President Bush is right now on domestic issues, many conservatives are up in arms that the GOP would even consider passing this legislation. Meanwhile in the middle of all of this, the New York Times is reporting the growing support of Hispanics to the Democratic party as America's next biggest voting bloc is showing signs that it will be a strong Democratic supporter for years to come. Just as the GOP lost the African American vote because they failed to understand the issues that mattered to them, so the GOP will lose the Hispanic block because once again their ignorance is blinding us to truly helping these people.
This example also reveals the danger of the far left and the far right. When both sides become stubbornly entrenched, nothing ever happens. Radical politics should have no place in America, but yet it still triumphs in instances such as these.
Conservatives simply enjoy whining. They whine when Mexicans come here. They whine when jobs go oversees because there aren't enough Americans to fill them. Then they whine that Mexicans do not integrate ignoring the fact that the status quo today prevents illegals from integrating. One can only imagine how many more elections conservatives will lose before they get the point.
The only solution to the problem of illegal immigration is deportation or integration. You can't have it both ways. Deportation is a dangerous and unrealistic idea. Integration can be achieved, as it is achieved with legal immigrants. For some reason that is a hard concept for many conservatives to understand.
I have never read so much racist and bigoted ideas flowing from the blogs and articles of conservatives coming from this debate. Today I am ashamed to call myself a conservative. America can only look to darker days the minute we cross the bridge into irrelevance from issues that matter to the American people.

Dangerous Weekend

2007-06-04T20:35:00.000-04:00

What kind of driver in a 24 hour period...???

1. Does a u-turn in the middle of a downtown Grand Rapids street
2. Runs two stop signs (one with cars present)
3. Runs a red light
4. Changes lanes in an intersection (in front of a cop!)
5. Makes an illegal turn from the wrong lane

That is pretty much a summary of my weekend with Jeremiah's driving. I definitely feared for my life. Despite the precarious driving, the weekend was incredibly fun. Meeting up with Nate and Jon Brewer, checking out the Art Festival in downtown Grand Rapids. Going to the beach... twice. And introducing the notorious Irish driver to some of my friends. Good times.

My advice is to ride with caution with Jeremiah.

Consider this my public service announcement to the rest of you. It might save your life someday ;)Publish Post

It's So True!

2007-05-30T21:17:00.000-04:00

I'm sorry. I really hating having to point this out. I almost hesitate. But I really must prove this well known fact yet one more time.

VERSUS

Republican Women are hotter. Sorry liberal guys...

IT'S OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-05-25T16:38:00.000-04:00