The Northern Belle

The Difference Between a Freshman and a Senior

2016-07-09T21:31:00.003-04:00

After four years in college, some things tend to change.

1. Page limits -

Freshman year: You think the professor is trying to teach you to write more concisely.

Senior year: You realize the prof is thinking, "If I have to grade 120 papers, then I better make sure they aren't too long."

2. Food -

Freshman year: You hunt around the cafeteria to find something you want to eat--you may even get in the grill line and cook some stir-fry.

Senior year: If acquiring a particular food requires significant effort or waiting in a line, you just default to cereal or pizza.

3. Physical fitness -

Freshman year: "Wow, what a nice gym! I'm definitely going to work out all the time while I'm at school."

Senior year: You visited the gym enough times to fulfill your phys. ed. requirement.

4. Wardrobe -

Freshman year (female): You try to look cute most days. Outfits often include include coordinated jewelry and accessories.

Senior year (female): Well, it's on your floor and it doesn't smell. If you throw a scarf on with it, it'll look half decent.

Freshman year (male): You put on clothes and went to class.

Senior year (male): You put on clothes and went to class.

5. Friends -

Freshman year: Everyone you met was a potential friend. You tried to be best buddies with everyone.

Senior year: You only make friends with classmates in case you need notes from them later in the semester. You have a core group of similarly undermotivated senior friends (and a few cool juniors if they're lucky).

6. Personal Cleanliness and Hygiene

Freshman year: You did your laundry regularly. You changed your sheets at least once a semester. You were careful not to touch anything in the shower.

Senior year: It's possible that half your laundry is in that pile of unclaimed items in the laundry room. Changing sheets happened after graduation when you were packing up to leave. The strange arrangements of hair on the side of the shower stall no longer scare you.

7. Roommates

Freshman year: you were careful to change discreetly, possibly doing it in the bathroom after showering.

Senior year: Your roommate has seen your butt several times and you no longer care.

8. Homework -

Freshman year:

Worrying about deadlines, writing down all assignments in a planner which you check regularly
Taking notes on every living, breathing thing your professor says
Paying attention in class
Asking questions of intricate minutia regarding the requirements for assignments.

Senior year:

You figure you'll hear about most major assignments before they're actually due.
Notes consist of, "Prof said X, Y, & Z will be on the test"
Only listening in class if a) the class is hard or b) if the professor sounds like he's saying something important.
Rarely asking questions about assignments--if you write it 12 pt. Times New Roman with 1" margins (and a half-hearted attempt at either MLA or APA formatting), you'll be fine.

Dedicated to all my many friends from Cedarville. I'm so thankful I got to take the journey from perky freshman to chill senior with such a wonderful group of people. I love and miss you all!

Bathtubs: The Newer, Better Under-the-Bed

2016-07-08T16:13:00.003-04:00

Gone are the days of stuffing your messy belongings under the bed.

In those harrowing 5 minutes before guests arrive, stashing and storing your various unsightly belongings can cause real panic. When the carpet is hidden from view but you need a quick clean-up, where are today's humans going to stash their stuff? According to a recent study by the Institute for #Adulting, your bathtub is actually an excellent place to throw your mess when you don't have time to clean.

Not only are your guests unlikely to be searching your shower stall; you will also find that more nosey visitors (i.e. your mother) usually fail to check such a location. Under the bed has become too common a hiding place; not to mention, their is far greater risk of stray items peaking out from underneath a bed. One great advantage of the shower is it's high edges which prevent items from "escaping" into parental view (and keeping mom from finding out how truly messy your house was just before she arrived.) The bathtub is a new, more sophisticated mechanism.

And this trend truly is a contemporary phenomenon. Recent research reveals that, once again, the millennial generation prefers innovation, abandoning old traditions for the new and more efficient. New statistics show that 100%* of adults over the age of 70 prefer stuffing unsightly items under their beds, whereas 100%** of millennials report using their bathtub as a clandestine stuffing compartment (Institute for #Adulting, 2016).

"All you have to do is pull the shower curtain closed," says one recent college graduate, "and then the rest of my apartment looks fabulous!"

When we asked if this ever inhibited her ability to actually shower, she didn't hesitate to respond, "That's actually the beauty of putting your stuff in your bathtub--when I used to find other hiding places, I'd forget my stuff was there and lose it. Now, I'm forced to deal with it in a more timely fashion...either that, or not shower for several days."

Aspiring developmental psychologist L.G. Turkelson says that the need to "speed clean" is actually a very primal behavior that has it's roots in early childhood: "Children learn very early on that cleaning one's room is a difficult, time-consuming task. The natural response to such tasks is to try and make them easier by rapidly accumulating items into hidden spaces, or accelerated cache-ing. However, most parents are quick to discover and discourage such behaviors, causing the young child to learn various adaptation skills aimed at continuing cache-ing behaviors undetected."

It's difficult to tell how this new method of speed cleaning will affect the bathroom appliance industry, but new home-buyers be aware: you may want to look for bigger bathtubs.

*sample size: 1 grandmother

**sample size: 1 millenial

Preschooler Talk

2015-02-24T00:26:00.000-05:00

"The bears were flying along and then...they just died!"

"I'm sorry" "I forgive you." "That's right! You do forgive me!"

"Nora, you are beau-u-u-tiful!"

"I've got it! We have to step on mosquitoes to stop them and turn them into butterflies!"

"I got you a flower soooo, you can marry me now."

"Let's play the dead squirrel game!"

"Noah what do you wanna be when you grow up?
N: I want to be a super ninja who rescues squirrels!
M: Oh...hmmm...ok....Well, why do you want to be that? What do the squirrels need to be saved from?
N: I don't know--sometimes they just need me to rescue them! like this! "hi-yah, swish, punch, take that!"
m: Who's going to pay you?
*silence*
N: I think maybe I'll be a fireman.

Friends! No sniffing each other's peanut butter!

Camp: An Old Journal Entry

2015-02-24T00:21:00.001-05:00

One week can seem like an eternity—especially when you have a test on Friday. A week can also seem like a mere moment—especially when you are with people you love, doing things that you enjoy. But sometimes, a week can seem like both an eternity and still not long enough of an eternity to accomplish what you had hoped.

That is how I felt this past week.

I spent the last seven days counseling at Camp Koinōnia . Koinōnia is the Greek word for “fellowship” or “community,” and that is what we try to build during camp week. The campers range from 3^rd to 5^th grade, from ages seven to eleven. They also range in spiritual knowledge from the Sunday school smart aleck to the completely un-churched. Their socioeconomic status go from girls who brought two outfits—the only ones they owned—to girls who told me they got their hair high-lighted…every month. And yet somehow, they tell us, we are to make a community, a Koinōnia, out of this peculiar gathering of children.

And so, my co-counselor Cari and I do our best to unite this group of young girls. Not only that, but we strive to provide emotional and spiritual support, and share the gospel effectively. It is a huge mission and we only have a week to accomplish it.

1. Create Koinōnia – Working on it…

2. Support emotional and spiritual needs

Mariah* had huge burn marks down the backs of her legs. A large bruise in the shape of an adult hand loomed ugly and purple beneath the smooth, childlike skin on her thigh. A wound on her forehead and scars on her back fixed my conviction that my camper was a victim of abuse. It broke my heart. Mariah also had many behavioral and relational issues. Not only was she abused, she was also my cabin’s “problem child”—for some reason, I am attracted to troubled kids. There’s something frustrating yet intriguing to me about figuring out what motivates their actions. The insatiable drive to figure them out is rewarded, however rarely, by an infinitely satisfying feeling of helping fix what is broken inside of them.

But the process is long and hard.

Most days at camp, I feel so discouraged. After all, what can one week do in the life of a girl who probably only hears about Jesus a few times a year? Can you even begin to heal the hurt of abuse? Even if the child does improve, is there any chance it will last once they go home?

1. Create Koinōnia– Working on it…next?

2. Support emotional and spiritual needs – trying, but feel discouraged. Next?

3. Share the Gospel effectively.

Last year, I wasn’t able to counsel at camp. But I still heard stories. It was a memorable year because, for the first time, a camper was sent home. Why? She punched another girl, declaring she “wasn’t and never would be sorry.”

I came to find out that this camper was Loretta*, one of my campers from a few years back. The year she was in my cabin, she supposedly gave her life to the Lord and got baptized in the camp pool—apparently it was merely an emotional response to the setting sun, soft music, stirring testimony, quiet sniffles, and flowing tears of counselors and campers alike.

A sad sort of horror hung around my heart when I heard about Loretta. I questioned whether it was possible for kids that young to be saved: was it possible for them to understand the Gospel? I questioned my abilities: did I explain the message of salvation poorly? I questioned my own knowledge: did I even know what the gospel was?

In the end, I learned that sometimes all you can do is love them and hope that someday they'll associate that love with the love of Christ.

By the end of the week, my list reads:

~~1. Create Koinōnia– Working on it…next?~~

2. ~~Support emotional and spiritual needs – trying, but feel discouraged. Next?~~

~~3. Share the Gospel effectively.~~

1. Love them like Christ loves you

Lyrics to Contemplate: Go

2015-01-22T11:27:00.001-05:00

Go

Sandra McCracken

Listen when you first wake,
your compass aligns
to the sounds of the morning
thoughts like tiny earthquakes
alive in your head
a light and a warning

Cartographic lines within your veins
following the sky’s endless terrain
see what you’re made of…

Go, on your own
go when you’re ready
brave girl you are smart
go when your heart is strong and is steady

Diamonds are your words, babe,
Speak them slow, the wisdom is coming
Sure, the steps that you take
in sorrow and hope, your beauty becoming
Fire cannot burn the same place twice
lean toward the Day that breaks the night
so go and find out…

Go, on your own
go when you’re ready
Brave girl you are smart
go when your heart is strong and is steady

Hush the noises, hush your doubt
find your courage, draw it out
See a lantern just ahead, see the pillar glowing red and
Go, go if you want

go, on your own
go when you’re ready
brave girl you are smart
go when your heart is strong and is steady

For a free download of this song, click here

Adventures in Ameteur Photography

2014-12-16T23:04:00.001-05:00

Thank you to Kendall and Georgie for posing as my beautiful models and helping take pictures!

Sisters

Sunlight #1

Sunlight #2 - love the colors on this one!

She's so beautiful!!

Kendall actually MADE the dress I'm wearing

My favorite!

Fun playing with Georgia

Why I Continue to Believe that Christ is Worth It

2014-11-06T00:32:00.000-05:00

(This post is an excerpt from a paper I wrote last semester).

Perhaps you are wondering what the catch is, “Christianity cannot be that easy! I know that when you become a Christian you have to give up all sorts of things and follow all these rules. God has so many expectations.” Christianity may appear that way at first, but becoming a Christian is very different than this dismal picture. On first glance, it may seem difficult, but a closer examination reveals that Christ is the real treasure you've been searching for your entire life.
Perhaps a story will make my point. Once, Mommy and I were in the car—a question weighed on my 8-year-old heart and after a long contemplation, I finally asked, “Mommy, will Jesus bring my dollhouse to heaven?”
Mom raised an eyebrow, “I don’t think so, Lynley. Why do you ask?”

“Well, I’m not sure if I want to go to heaven if my dollhouse isn’t there. I would miss it. I really like playing with my dollhouse—it’s my favorite toy.” Mommy explained that I would not miss my dollhouse when I got to heaven because I would have Jesus. I remained skeptical, of course. How could I ever be happy without my dollhouse?
Of course, we all laugh now because I have grown up. I no longer think I will miss my dollhouse in heaven, because I have outgrown my need for it—but at that time, my dollhouse was of great importance to me. Why? Because the pleasure I derived from the toy was immediate; it was right before me and instantly provided joy, entertainment, or an escape from the “hard stuff” (i.e. chores). At that age, I knew nothing of how I’d feel grown up—that I wouldn’t miss my dollhouse because I would be enlightened to all sorts of new things that were better than dollhouses.
This mirrors how we relate to heaven and God. So often the phrase "pick up your cross" strikes terror into our hearts to think of losing or giving up the things that comfort us now. But this is because we are, in a way, children. We do not understand everything right now; we see only what is right before us. We cannot imagine life without our pitiful toys.
But then God calls to us, telling us there is more to life than we presently see. “You will understand someday,” he tells us, “but until then, you will just have to trust that what I say is true. You won’t miss your old way of life once you grow-up spiritually.” If we believe and trust God, we will begin to grow up, and only gradually will we see why the dollhouse was no big deal. There are a lot of “dollhouses” in our lives that we do not want to give up because they seem necessary to our happiness—what we fail to see is that if we say “yes” to Jesus and learn to spend less time on the immediate pleasures around us, we will start to grow up. And once we’ve “grown up,” we’ll have a good laugh with Jesus remembering the time when we thought we needed those things to be happy.

ADHD Devotionals

2014-11-01T23:46:00.003-04:00

There's very little sacred space
in this place, this head that
never stops turning. Churning,
always churning out a flutter of new thoughts,
none of which quite makes it
to the top
before I stop to smell a new flower,
and check an old box,
and chase after that thought I lost yesterday
in the usual way.

So Jesus, take this space,
this place,
this mind--
take my sacred space and time,
because they aren't truly
mine.

Thank You, Professor

2014-09-18T16:30:00.000-04:00

The ever-enlightening wisdom bestowed upon me by professors :)

"We're not trees, we're not roaches, we're not chairs--sorry for those of you who thought you were." - Dr. Becknell

"I would make a very attractive woman." - Dr. Becknell

"Oh no! This isn't a word document...I can't edit it...the administrative assistant PDF-ed it!" - Dr. Dolph

"I used to write the number 9 on everything--eventually my mother said, 'No more nines!!'" - Dr. Becknell

"Freud said our thinking oozes from every pore. The question is, what are you oozing?" - Dr. Becknell

Slices of Life

2014-09-11T07:56:00.001-04:00

A few snapshots that remind me how funny life can be.

Next time you think you're hungry, remember this desperate squirrel.

Adding new meaning to the phrase "pray continually."
Also, apparently there's a Constitutional amendment declaring a new "right" I wasn't aware of...

...claims the book written by two men....

Dinner of mashed potatoes & french toast sticks? We call this "The Freshman 15 Meal"

...never thought about that one!

Questionable Theology (Part 4)

2014-07-03T08:31:00.003-04:00

And now for the fourth installment of this semester's "Joys of Grading" series:

My all-time favorite quote from this semester:
"Conversion is the starting point of this journey; it is the "death of the old person" and the "birth of the new" person. This is not say that there are two different souls dwelling inside a person like a 'white dog' and a 'black dog.'"

"We are to blindly follow and obey wherever he leads us."

"As it says in 1 Thes. 4:2 'this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from fortification.'"

“In general people have a very easy role in conversion. All they have to do is, well, nothing really.”

"Conversion is an instantaneous miracle. It is something that hits you suddenly and you feel and believe your sins and they look very real to you."

"Through this I hope to constantly remind myself of what it means to be a disciple and examine my faith. At the end if I find myself to be a Christian, I will be successful."

"Spiritual formation is not something that can't be measured by human means. To ask 'how much' spiritual formation can be obtained is similar asking how much marriage can be obtained in this life....Rather, spiritual formation is a tapestry consisting of different rates, different 'colors' etc."

"A bad example of faith that I can think of is the wind. We cannot see it, but we can see the effects of it. And we also can hear, smell, taste, and feel it, which is why I said it was a bad example. Another example that I've heard before involves a chair..." Oh brother.

"This world is still broken, and even though people don't in sin anymore, they still stumble into it."

Did you like what you read?
Read part 1 here.
Read part 2 here.
Read part 3 here.

Tell Me How

2014-07-03T08:27:00.002-04:00

A poem for those who went before me.

* * * * *

Tell me how to know this bundle of firing neurons,
when people keep trying to rewire me.

Tell me how to survive the “culture wars,”
when I refuse to choose one side.

Tell me how to fit somewhere,
when I’m a piece from a different puzzle.

Tell me how to hope so heavy,
when hopeful heavy hearts live painful.

Tell me flesh and blood has walked here before,
Tell me your story built with tear-soaked mortar.
Tell me how the curtain tore,
Tell me what the hell I’m living for.

Because if you don’t I might give up.

My only fear is that if
I give up,
I won’t be able to
tell the next me how I got
here.

An afterthought:

Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your own blood,

and as you lay there in your blood,

I said to you,

‘Live!’

Break-Up Recovery Kit

2014-07-02T22:55:00.002-04:00

Most of us have broken up with a boy at least once in our lives. It's sad, painful, and utterly heart-wrenching. Breaking up leaves you practically senseless.

That's why you really need the new break up recovery kit! Say goodbye to the conventional break-up routines of crying on a friend's shoulder, eating chocolate (and/or an entire carton of ice cream), and going through a box of tissues in a few hours. This new break-up recovery kit has everything you need from a male candle (because you know you want to burn their head off) and female candle (for who knows why) all the way to helpful therapeutic modalities such as Separation Oil, Break-Up Incense, and "Keep Away Enemies" Soap.

Instructions for use:

Begin burning the male/female candle (guy if you're a girl and vice versa if you're a guy). Feel free to carve your ex's name into the candle for greater effect.
Take the remaining candle and turn it to face the burning candle. They can watch.
Separation Oil - pour all over body. If your ex tries to catch you, you'll slip right out of his fingers.
Break-up Incense - burn regularly. The stench will prevent any man from coming near you for a very long time.
Keep Away Enemies Soap - Wave this soap in front of all enemies and they will magically be "washed away."

You can have all this and more for the great price of $39.99! And yes, this kit is actually available for purchasing here!

The College Student's Immune System

2014-05-21T11:55:00.004-04:00

Sometime within the first 3 weeks of the semester:
"AHH! So many people! So many germs!! Cannot fight them all!"
You get a small cold

First half of semester until flu vaccine:
"Healthy, healthy, healthy..."

After flu vaccine:
"This kid hasn't eaten nutritious food in 2 months, they're sleep-deprived, and stressed...and they just got a vaccine. OVERLOAD!"

After finals week:
Somehow, your immune system knows you need to make it through finals. You deprive yourself of sleep, eat snack foods because you can't stop studying to get a meal (not to mention you eat at incredibly irregular hours), and possibly don't shower as often as you should. But it's not until the morning after you get home that your immune system finally says, "Well, now that you're done being stressed, we need to clean house. Time to be SICK!"

Other Spiritual Insights (Part 3)

2014-05-21T11:34:00.000-04:00

"Prayer is huge part of spiritual formation, having that direct relationship with God. That is such a huge deal." (Ginormous, really.)

"If you do not believe the gospel, how then is it possible to pursue a relationship with Christ and grow closer to him? It is like getting married to a woman that you do not believe exists. If you do not believe she exists, then why should you feel the need to spend time with her?"
(Or better yet, HOW did you marry her?)

"Lives of spiritual formation are characterized by thoughts becoming action and action becoming change." (Does change become dollars?)

"The person's role, simply put, is to follow Jesus. This is not to say that we are to follow him in physical direction (obviously, since he not on earth at that moment)..." (Glad you clarified. I was getting confused...)

"The gospel is literally a discipleship handbook; its pages contain a wealth of info about the first disciples and Christ's direct commands to those who desire to be disciples." (Order yours today!)

"Spiritual formation, in fact life, couldn't not be possible without God intervening." (I totally know what you mean...?)

"I believe that I, specifically, should create a plan of encouraging my own spiritual formation." (Yes, my dear, that was the assignment...)

"God's role in conversion is to convict people of their sings." (Especially if they are singing lady Gaga.)

"A person engaged in spiritual formation will change the way they act towards others outwardly and the way they carry themselves turn from intimidating to powerful with an unknown reason for happiness and joy to the unbeliever." (Well, that went downhill quickly.)

"The Holy Spirit guides us through the paths in life and helps us takes decisions that are not like how we used to take." (It's alright, I used to takes decisions before I got saved, too.)

"I firmly believe the idea of, 'How much,' in regards to spiritual formation is completely bogus. Spiritual formation is not like filling a penny jar." (I mean, this is true.)

“Faith so powerful it causes us to diverge from that old path of life, that sinful path, and it causes us to chase after what the rest the world considers to be unknown…what we as Christians call 'God.'” (Mmm, yes that mystical being...)

“These four conglomerations make up the word of God.”

“As we discussed simply in class, the believer must all God in their life.”

“When engaged into spiritual formation, the desire to do what pleases to God happen. Discipleship to other believers struggling with people who aren’t in faith happens. We follow his word and rich ourselves with it that we cannot contain it anymore and want to share it with whoever possible.” (Um...what?)

Answering the question: Describe how much spiritual formation can be obtained in this life

“There is so much that can happen. To be very specific, it would be 'The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.'" (Oh yes, that's very specific. So specific, in fact, that it fails to answer the question.)

"The whole Bible, God's story, had led all the way up to the Gospel, his climax. His climax that is our climax every day." (Poor word choice.)

"...through spiritual formation we will become genuinely new (not totally new, but this process happens gradually)." (Some very subtle theological distinctions, here.)

"Spiritual formation is an unattainable goal that Christians are to strive for daily."

Stay tuned for part 4 of this series: "Questionable Theology"
To see part 1, click here.
To see part 2, click here.

Spiritual Formation as Brought to You by... (Part 2)

2014-05-14T09:09:00.000-04:00

The time traveler:
"I will measure [my progress in spiritual formation] on May 8, 2012 by reciting 150 verses from memory."

The garbage man:
"Our outward being is a reflection of our soul, which before Christ is like a putrid landfill, which needs to be in a constant state of improvement."

The mathematician:
"An inverse correlation to the level spiritual formation in one's life is the amount of sin still present."

The future orthopedic surgeon:
"These things are indeed the "bare bones" of spiritual discipline; that being said, they also construct the skeleton of spiritual formation as a whole, and should therefore be taken very seriously."

The cattle herder:
“Jesus died for our sin so that we can be converted, and God pokes and prods and shoves us until we believe.”

The schizophrenic:
“Listening can be so hard to do…my mind is constantly going and talking to me.”

Join the Northern Belle next week for Part 3: "Interesting Spiritual Insights"
See Part 1 here.

The famous "sentence-that-means-absolutely-nothing" (Part 1)

2014-05-09T14:32:00.000-04:00

Part 1 of 4 posts to come on the joys of grading student papers. Enjoy!

"The immediate goal of spiritual formation is to nourish and maintain the goals..."

"In many respects, [conversion] is the single most 'solo' decision one can make."

"They should be striving every day to become a disciple of Christ which involves being very discipled."

"During spiritual formation one wants to constantly strive to develop their spiritual formation."

"My plan to promote my spiritual formation is to get systems down that allow me to do what I need to for spiritual formation."

"My view of spiritual formation is similar and different to the professor's view of it."

"The gospel is the whole point. God is the gospel."

"A person engaged in spiritual formation will feel full and hungry at the same time."

Tune in next week for Part 2: Spiritual Formation as Brought to you by...

Comment below with your favorites!

Trees

2014-02-16T21:15:00.000-05:00

Imagine you're Adam or Eve, standing in the Garden of Eden. You're angry at Adam for not saying something--how can he even be mad when he didn't even try to stop you? He ate the fruit too! You're mad at Eve for taking the fruit--didn't she know better? Do you have to do everything for her? You have been fighting. Fighting for the first time in your human existence. It feels foreign and broken. You feel self-conscious and naked; vulnerable and dirty. Your shame is slowly iced over by anger. And then, you hear God coming, so you hide in the...

Trees.

"I know where you stand

Silent in the trees

And that's where I am

Silent in the trees.

Why won't you speak

Where I happen to be?

Silent in the trees

Standing cowardly.

"I can feel your breath.

I can feel my death.

I want to know you.

I want to see.

I want to say, hello." *

After all I've done, God?

Yes. You broke yourself apart, but I made you, so I know how to put you back together again.

Will you come out of the trees and say hello to me?

* * *

Sons of Adam and daughters of Eve, when you hear His voice do not harden your hearts.

Come out from the trees, into the light that you may receive healing.

*The song Trees is by Twenty-One Pilots. All italics in quotation marks are their lyrics.

The Joys of a Student Grader

2013-12-18T01:39:00.000-05:00

When asked to create a plan for spiritual development:

"Beginning in December, I will ponder my contributions to the kingdom of God."

When asked what God's role in spiritual formation was...

"Our spiritual formation is formed around God."

When asked what happens internally to a person engaged in spiritual formation...

"A person engaged in spiritual formation changes internally."

No, really??

"Before conversion can even happen, there needs to be a person who can be converted, which implies one role of a person in conversion; they are necessary."

How is this for a concluding sentence?

"So many ways I could work on my spiritual formation and grow in my knowledge and understanding of the lord."

The Yoga Teacher:

"The Holy Spirit will even provide you a way out you just have to feel, listen, or look for it." Namaste.

The Dentist:

"An individual in this life is imperfect. There may be thousands of shades of imperfection, and an individual can try to move a few shades up or down (like using the teeth whitening strip)."

The Manly-Man:

"The goal of spiritual formation, at it's root, is to develop such a strong relationship with Christ that we make him our best friend. I don't mean this in a corny way, so don't imagine someone who snuggles with his Bible."

The Toddler:

"I am only a child, so I'm used to having quiet time whenever I want, so having a roommate makes this more difficult."

The Swimmer:

"I want to make a daily practice of really diving and using the tools I learned this semester to more fully understand God's word applied in my life."

The Pharisee in-the-making:

"Why did I [say "believe in your heart"] and skip confess with your mouth? Because if a person is deaf they can still be converted even though they cannot say it with their mouth."

Choose and convert ALL the people!

"God's role in conversion is complete, full, and literally all of conversion is from God. He even chooses those that will choose him, because if someone chooses him then they could boast."

God: the seventh member of the avengers

"Trusting in God also is [a] way to learn about God and what his powers are."

The role of the toilet in spiritual formation:

"In attempts to bring the discipline of confession more fully into my life, I will meet with a close friend to relieve myself of the burden of certain sins."

"I think James says it so well when he says..." A.K.A. I don't want to explain this, so I will just quote scripture.

Sounds strangely familiar...

"For God to put a fire in me for him that I can't contain and can't control." *

Harry Potter meets Cedarville:

"I have access to feedback and I have somewhat of an input and I will use my potion help the new church grow."

Winners for Best Typos

"However there is more to spiritual formation than simply eating rid of our human nature."

"As we become spiritually formed, God constantly provides us with grade and redeems us from our sins."

"The believer's role in spiritual formation is to peruse the Lord with all of their heart."

Other spiritually enlightening thoughts...

"In conversion of themselves they need to start living for God."

"Believers may be very smart and try to follow God but everyone is not perfect. We do things like be mean, rude, or non-holy."

"[The gospel] is supposed to teach wisdom and has songs to praise God with."

"In other words, spiritual formation kind of works like a plant...that sounds a little stupid but it makes some sense."

Apparently, someone agrees with plant-guy:

"God desires for us to stay close to him saying that if we grow apart we will end up weathering and dying."

"Matthew six is a treasure trove of verses that advises Christians to abandon worry."

"Spiritual formation is a roller coaster process that supersedes the believers commitment and love for God."

Winners for questionable grammar and most confusing sentences:

"This verse (John 3:16) describes the acts of Jesus who gave us a blueprint so as how to live a G0d-oriented life from the point of redemption through death of this life."

"The gospel is the books given to the believers to help us follow him by the stories and adventures the people of the Bible had."

"Also faith in works is where trusting God enough that when he tells us to do something in his way, we do it, the way God wants us to."

"Also it is evident in Galatians 6:8 that sows their own flesh are corruption and sowing for spirit and will have a eternal life."

"Explains the aiding process in which we are supposed to do."

"Knowing this we have to determine the meaning through other applications and figure out the meaning of the application that can be used."

"Luke 13:5 says, '...unless you repent you too will perish.' and makes that this too is also a necessary part of conversion, to turn from our old life to a new life with Christ as the Lord of our lives."

"As Paul elaborate I can a struggle that I know I face, that Paul may have been hinting at."

Note: all typos in above sentences are original to the papers.

*directly out of a Christian worship song called, "Set a Fire"

Professor Ingle Quote of the Day!

2013-11-15T12:10:00.000-05:00

"What makes a yellow-throated warbler a yellow-throated warbler? The fact that it's yellow-throated warbler."

"Naming things is a way to exert dominion over them--that's why Adam named the animals. And that's why we name our children. As a matter of fact, that's why we give them 3 names...more power!"

Poetry: The All-Nighter

2013-11-15T09:13:00.002-05:00

Un-make-up-ed face and

Eye-balls race

To ends of lines

And thesis defines

Keyboard clatters and

Slowly splatters grey matter

When pulling an all-nighter.

Dr. Sullivan Quote of the Day!

2013-11-14T21:08:00.000-05:00

Some fun quotes from our wonderful bioethics professor:

Whenever we ask about APA formatting: "I don't care about your niggely little complications--Lord save us from the bean counters!!"

Student: Can we do this for extra credit?
Dr. Sullivan: I don't know if I want to allow you to genetically enhance this course.

Dr. Marsh Quote of the Day!

2013-10-08T09:33:00.000-04:00

"…then we had the west trying to excommunicate the entire east side of the church. And that was a funny, sad story…."

Dr. Ingle Quote of the Day!

2013-10-04T09:13:00.001-04:00

"Why is this equation important? Because lo and behold, I am the person who makes the exam and I just said it was important. So you should know it."

Dr. Hwang Quote of the Day!

2013-09-21T17:35:00.000-04:00

All a part of taking testing and measurement at a Christian college:

"Salvation is your criterion reference...Jesus is your score transformation."

"Construct validity--you identify the behaviors that are manifestations of that construct. For example, love. How do you know if he loves you? You can't see the construct of love, so you use behavior to test his love. I'd say the size of the diamond works well for construct validation."