Live, Love, JESUS (Honors Response 4)

"You have not chosen one another, but I have chosen you for one another."

-C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

What is your definition of a good steward?

In class we defined it as not wasting our gifts or resources, to not abuse what we are given, and to dedicate our life to service. 

When Dr. Sunberg visited our class this past week, what she had to say really hit home for me.  She spoke on the love of God in relation to loving our neighbors.  She said that we are some of the most blessed people in the entire world.  For example, I come from a two parent, christian household, I went to a Christian elementary school, struggled with what to wear everyday because I had so much, and I always had food to eat.  My life is truly amazing when I look at how much I have.  God can use our lives in such miraculous ways.

In terms of loving our neighbors, Dr. Sunberg stated that all we need to do is be Jesus to others.  But how can we do that? One word that was pronounced periodically through class was authenticity.  You've heard it before.  Non-christians think that christians are hypocritical.  We judge others, we think that we are better than everyone who is not a christian.  So how do we change this?  They want us to be who we are called to be.  

One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, "What commandment is the foremost of all?" Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.'  "The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no other commandment greater than these."

- Mark 12:28-31

It shouldn't matter who the person is, we should be Jesus to them.  Love them no matter what they've done because Jesus loves us, despite all of our sins.  Sure, it may be hard, but that's what we are called to do.  Care for them, do all that we can to help them.  We can preach about it all we want in church, but none of it means anything if we don't act upon what God is telling us to do.  We are called to make a difference.  Sure, you're just one person, but you can make a huge difference.  We are called to live an authentic lifestyle.

God has blessed us.  He loves us so incredibly much, and shouldn't we show that love to everyone we come across?

Honors Response 3

In class this past week we were challenged to go to a particular place/building on campus and look at it like a text.  My initial thoughts were, "how is that possible? Is that even a thing?"  Well, it is, and it's actually pretty eye opening once you take a step back and look at your surroundings.

My group was assigned to observe the cafeteria and the cafe, both of which are in the same building.  The cafeteria is a large space with high, vaulted ceilings and bright lights.  Within this large space, there are two different sitting areas split up by the food lines.  Although they are in the same room, each area has an entire different atmosphere that goes along with it.

Now, my older sister goes to Olivet as well and last year when I was coming in as a freshman she told me, "Tess, whatever you do, ALWAYS sit on the left side of Ludwig.  That's where all the 'cool kids' sit."  And even when I got here, there was always an unwelcoming air that comes from the right side of the cafeteria.  

As part of our observation, we asked people sitting on either side of the cafeteria why they chose the side they were sitting on.  The people sitting on the right side of Ludwig were either there to sit by themselves and have some alone time, or to have a scholarly meeting with just one other person.  This explains the quiet and more reserved atmosphere this side of Ludwig emits.  But as soon as you walk over to the left side, it all changes.  The sound of people talking, laughing, yelling, and the occasional round of applause is much more welcoming.  The stress of classes, homework, and exams seemed to be nonexistent for the time being.  The guys we sat down with and talked to on this side told us that they came there with a group of friends just to simply eat together.  There was no agenda for them, just a time to come together as friends to enjoy a meal.

It blows my mind that there are two very different atmospheres in the same room.  But what is even more crazy is that there is another room, ten yards away, that has a whole new demeanor.

Common Grounds has much lower ceiling, dimmer lighting, and to be quite honest, a much better smell.  The seating is more comfortable, including different heights of tables and chairs, and even sofas are placed strategically around the fireplace.  Just the furniture choices and placements give off a "homier" vibe.  The dimmed lighting, warm colors, and the coffee smells are welcoming and relaxing, making it a prime spot to study or have a date.

After class I looked at how I approached the places I go to.  For instance, when I go back to my apartment, I am there to dance wildly to One Direction or to sleep, whereas if I am in Reed Hall of Science, I wouldn't dare sing and dance.  I go to buildings on campus with a purpose, to get something done.  Back at my apartment I normally don't have a purpose or a schedule to withhold.  It is simply a place to relax; my home for the time being.

The point of this whole blog post is just to show you how incredible every place we go to is.  There is a reason why people choose Common Grounds as opposed to the left side of Ludwig to have a first date.  Each place we go to has an atmosphere about it that shapes the reasoning as to why we choose to visit it.  

Honors Response 2

At this point in our lives we've all heard it.  Plants require carbon dioxide to live.  Us humans require oxygen.  As we breathe in oxygen, we release carbon dioxide, and as plants take in carbon dioxide, they release oxygen.  As you can see, the relationship between plants and humans is extremely imperative for each species survival.

As time has progressed, despite the importance of carbon dioxide to our survival, there has been extensive research on the effects carbon dioxide has had on the environment.  Global warming seems to be the biggest area of concern.  Some effects that scientists have claimed that global warming will have on the environment is the loss of non-renewable fossil fuels, health issues, a loss in food production, and a loss of biodiversity.

Personally, I do not believe that the amount of carbon dioxide in the environment will have such negative effects on us.  According to The Truth About Greenhouse Gases by William Harper, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 390 ppm.  Harper states later on in his article that "atmospheric CO2 levels should be above 150 ppm to avoid harming green plants and below about 5000 ppm to avoid harming people".  The current ppm levels are much closer to the lowest amount required than it is to the highest amount.  If carbon dioxide levels become excessive and reach levels closer to 5000 ppm, then there will be extreme repercussions to be concerned with.

"The message is clear that several factors must influence the earth's temperature, and that while CO2 is one of these factors, it is seldom the dominant one." (Harper)

Instead of spending such a large amount of time, energy, and money on attempting to lower the carbon dioxide levels in hopes of diminishing global warming, we could do so many more effective projects.  We could use the money to help prevent to food crisis, we wouldn't have to change our lifestyles, and the plants may thrive even more.

Soccer, Food and Honors Class

I love soccer.  And that’s why I originally wanted to play in college.  But now that I have one year under my belt, I have realized that there is one more very important reason I play collegiate soccer.  You see, for our home games many parents come (aka moms). And those moms, since they have one less child in their home, feel the need to bake.  And let me tell you, tonight was glorious.  One mom brought cookie brownies.  Cookies and brownies are one thing, but put them together and you’ve reached an entire new level.  My taste buds were so confused because they couldn’t figure out what type of food was in my mouth, but oh my gosh, it was amazing.  I think brownies are like the go-to treat to bake because another mom baked us brownies.  These were easily the greatest brownies I have ever had.  So moist and soft (sorry if you hate the word moist, but they were perfect), I thought I had died and gone to heaven.  Literally melted in my mouth. To be honest, I think that the regular brownies were better than the cookie brownies, but hey, I’m not going to complain about free food.

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE.

On top of the 2000 calories that we all had consumed, it’s one of my teammate’s birthday tomorrow.  Her mother brought us donuts.

Jesus take the wheel.

Thinking about this, I realized that it connected to one of the articles we read for class.  The National Geographic article The Joy of Food simply states “the sharing of food has always been a part of the human story”.  Being on a college team has really shown me that.  Especially during the preseason when there are quite a few players new to the team, my coach makes it a requirement to eat every meal together.  This rule is put in place so that we get to know each other and grow together as a team.  In general, eating a meal together with anyone has the same effect.  Acts 2:46 displays this, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.  They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.”

I think that we as Christians are called to continue this tradition.  Although nowadays we have busy schedules, we should still try to find time throughout our week to meet with others and share a meal together.  We are not called to walk alone in our faith, and what better way to do that than with food!