A finished book and few extra thoughts.

I finally finished "Why college matters to God." All around, it was a decent book. Like any book, it grew a little boring in the middle, but picked up again towards the end. Rather than bore you with all the details, i'll just share the one key factor i took away from it. The purpose of a Christian liberal arts school is to train and raise up educated Christians who are ready to become an agent of redemption in a fallen world. I pray that Covenant will be this place for me, that it will provide with an outstanding education, and that i will leave college prepared, not only for the working world, but as a stronger and more mature person. Now the only thing left for me to do is write my paper...

As August 20th quickly approaches, my emotions are going up and down. I am ecstatic to be going to Covenant, but i am nervous and scared to be going so far from home. Yet on the other hand, being so far from home gives me this thrill of excitement and wonderful sense of independence. I miss high school and the people i knew there, but on the other hand i am ready and excited to meet and develop new friendships. I am very nervous about the classes and the workload and will i be able to handle it? But most of all, above all of those, i am worried about my migraines. This summer has been one of the worst testing times, since i first began with my migraines 8 years ago. Will i be able to handle the work and my migraines? Will i be able to sleep and deal with a lack of sleep?
And the most burdening question of all: Will i be able to afford to return to covenant in the spring semester?

"Do not worry about tomorrow..."

Pink, pink, and more pink: shopping for college, round #2

Today, Chris's old bedroom officially transformed into my college stuff room. It is quickly filling with all the stuff i cannot wait to take to covenant with me : ) After much deliberating, i finally settled on a comforter that i really love!



Now that i had that settled i could really get on with my list. I am starting to get used to all the pink, but only a little...that little part inside me still loves blue and green.


sheets & blanket

black curtains to keep the sun out!


more storage...pink storage : )


my Brita for the 8 or so cups
of water i have to drink each day..


my "bookbag" (pink!)



school supplies (yeah, i guess at college you do have to do some work... ; )

Excitement, nervousness, and anxiousness, are all beginning to set in as the start of college is closing in. Less than a month to go. And perhaps, just perhaps, just a tiny bit of sadness...

Shopping for college..Round #1

So my roommate and i decided that our room colors were going to be black, white, and pink. Now if you know me well enough, you know that pink is NOT my color! however, i am adjusting to the idea of having a pink room and starting to enjoy it. (i'm going for hot pink, almost reddish pink, none of that pale pink for me!) perhaps college will make me more "girly" and less "dreary" : )

my textbooks (probably wont be so excited about that in a month..)


laundry..


towels : )


a light, which is pink!


organization (yeah right!)

Pen or Pencil? A Book Review Pt. 1

I've begun reading my assigned book Why College Matters to God and have found it to be more interesting than expected. The author Rick Ostrander brings to light several points about college that I had not thought about before. He opens by discussing what a worldview is, how one formulates one, and what purpose a college should take in shaping it. He makes the point that no matter where you go to college your worldview will be shaped. However, Christian colleges should take a different part in that then secular universities. He says that, "The purpose of a Christian college is not to hand you a complete Christian worldview on a platter; rather, it's to start you on the process of developing a comprehensive, coherent, yet dynamic Christian worldview."
His most interesting point came later in that chapter. He used crossword puzzles as a means to illustrate how students at Christian colleges mostly come with their worldview written in pen. He says they come from churches, families, and schools that encourage them to "fill in" their worldview with pen. However, he suggests that the wise students will use pencil when constructing their worldview. They will be willing to erase and rewrite. He says one purpose of a Christian education is to help you figure out which parts of your worldview are open to revision, and which are not.
As i reflect on my own "worldview" I fear I have used too much pen and not enough pencil. I only hope that i will be be able to keep an open mind, yet still hold on to those things i know to be true.

Learning.

A couple days ago, i received my first real college assignment in the mail. We are supposed to read the book Why College Matters to God by Rick Ostrander and write a reaction paper. My first gut reaction was to groan and sigh and think "school just ended, why more work?" But as i thought about it some more i became excited at the possibilities, Yes, i do just want to go to college for the fun and the friends, but there is a part of me deep down that really wants to learn.
I know the process to becoming a good teacher takes three steps: 1. learning 2. serving 3. transforming
And as i see that take place in my life, i will see it take place in my students as well. The prospect of that makes all the work worth it. But for now, i am learning, and if i am a good teacher, i will be forever learning.