Thoughtful...

The morning after my last post, a friend of mine e-mailed to tell me about his new born son. So, life and death. I don't think we normally see those two set against each other in such stark contrast, nor in such quick succession. But it has been sticking with me all week. One dies - sad, terrible, sorrowful, unlooked for. Another is born - joyful, wonderful, looked for in great anticipation.

God is still here. To weep with those who weep. To rejoice with those who rejoice. From ashes to ashes. From dust to dust. From life, to death, to life renewed.

" Then Job replied to the LORD :

"I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.

You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.

"You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.'

My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you."

Sorrowful...

A good man has passed away.

My earliest memories of him were mostly of fright. He used to stomp around the camp, and he had this loud, intimidating voice. But through the years, you got to know and love him. Whether he was getting worked up in a preaching storm, or tirelessly rewinding up the zipline cable, it was hard not to love him.
I remember when he first got a digital camera, and ran around the camp, taking pictures of absolutely everything. He was just so delighted that if you took a bad picture, it didn't matter. Just delete it. He printed off pictures and gave them to everyone. Printing pictures off your own printer was so cheap! I still have one of the pictures he took of me riding a horse named Madeira. It's in my little photo album beside my bed.
I remember when we used to host Korean students. He would preach, and the translator wouldn't understand, and so there would be a pause as they would go back and forth and try to figure out what the other meant. It was often really funny.

I remember when he lifted me out of the water at my baptism. It was a perfect, warm, sunny day. He was smiling.

How many memories I have. He died today. A snowy road. A blizzarding sky. A vehicle not seen until too late.

Thank you for your dedicated service. Thank you for the sacrifices you made. Thank you for a life well-lived.

"And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest"

Creative Hippy Genius

,

So, I've said before that there is some creative genius around this school. Case in point...

The "Creation Care" Community group (many of the groups have themes, including social justice, missions, environmentalism, etc.), dumpster dived for a week and put together this display in our atrium. The entire tree is made from recovered and rinsed cups from the Regent trash cans.

The posters say "The cups used to create this "tree" represent approximately one weeks worth of non-recyclable cups disposed of at Regent College alone", "Raise your awareness" and "Drink Responsibly: Bring a Travel mug..."

I was in fact really glad that I had brought a travel mug this morning, as it would have been a little embarrassing on this day to order the cup. Although it did make me reflect on the fact that often my own laziness in rinsing out my morning coffee cup causes me to order an afternoon one with a new cup. I'll have to do something about that.

Either way, I liked the creativity of this approach. If more environmentalist propaganda was of this nature, I'd probably be more inclined to pay attention. I was impressed.

On that note, I think I'm going to join the chapel choir. I feel like such a consumer here. It would be nice to contribute.

I remember!

I remember the thing I was going to tell you all! (If you are confused, refer to my last post...)

On Wednesday night we watched the movie "Luther" as an optional component of our Christian Thought and Culture course. At the end of the night, our librarian showed up with a 1595 copy of a Catholic refutation of Luther's works. Not being so quick, he commented on Luther's works, and then actually included large chapters of Luther's works. So a book that was supposed to be a refutation, actually contained primarily Luther's works.

We were also allowed to handle the book if we put on gloves, which was neat. And the librarian fully agreed with me (in opposition to several heathens present) that writing in/underlining books is worse than sacrilege.

Kind Actions

You know, it doesn't take much to help the world feel a little safer.

For example tonight, I got on the bus and a rather mentally disturbed young man started aggressively talking to me while I read my book. The bus driver noticed and pulled over, and went to quite some lengths to get the young man off the bus.
It was just a little thing, but it helped me feel better about taking the bus, and about the Vancouver transit system. It wasn't a big problem, I was on the bus. But it made me feel better about the situation nonetheless.

Thanks Mr. Bus Driver.


There was something else I was planning to tell all you people out in blog land. I was thinking in the afternoon "I gotta blog this", but now I've forgotten the content entirely, and only remember my reminder. How silly is that? Oh well.
More anecdotes to come, hopefully some silly ones (as I know the one I forgot was!)

Back in Vancouver...

Well, I'm back. The new semester is starting and I have a rather strange mix of reactions to it. Partially, I'm excited. Partially, I'm scared. Either way, it is nice to have a regular routine again.

Regent is really good for me. Those of you who know me, will chuckle at this next story.

I got the crap beat out of me this morning in the kindest and most compassionate way. I had gone to talk to one of my professors about one of my papers, because she welcomes the conversation that they begin. It was not about marks, but it was an exploration of why a certain mark was given. This is the first time I've ever walked into an office thinking I'd gotten a relatively low mark, and walked out thinking it was extraordinarily generous. Within the first three minutes I had my tail between my legs and was inwardly groaning in agony at the glaring anachronisms and blatant presuppositions. And what nearly made it worse was that the prof was so nice about it! Saying things like "I was rooting for you" and "all the components of a good paper were there, you simply failed to see your presuppositions" (like the fact that the entire argument was anachronistic!"), or even "you know, I think you just need more practice at this particular kind of paper". All true. All painfully, ego-bustingly true. Yup, I've been humbled quite strongly, especially because I agreed with every thing that was pointed out, and realize just how much grace was extended.

In other news, family dinner at the Phillips' is only once a month now, which means I'll have remarkably less good nutrition, but also far less calories in my diet. That is, after all, my unabashed gluttony fest of the week.

My courses are looking good and challenging, but I'll write about them another time. It's now time for bed.