Yesterday and today I attended the NACFLA (North American Christian Foreign Language Association) conference at Wheaton College. Basically it's just a couple dozen foreign language teachers who get together annually to present papers they've written, etc. This year the theme was immigration. I am taking a Spanish class on immigration, so the professor of that class (who also was the professor who went with us to Peru) asked if any of us students wanted to go. I said yes (especially since it basically meant a free ride home for spring break and being able to attend a conference for free) and I'm glad I did. Jenny Yang (author of Welcoming the Stranger--a great book about the immigration debate from a Christian perspective) gave the keynote speech which was amazing, and it was great meeting professors from other colleges and hearing some interesting presentations. This is the second conference I've attended this semester and I've really liked them both. It's a great way to meet new people, have good discussions, and learn lots of new things. I am also excited to attend the Festival of Faith and Writing in April at Calvin. I left the conference feeling very enlightened but also convicted to really go out and do something. We'll see if anything comes of it :)
I love my family!
I got to see my mom, dad, stepdad, and sister today so it was a pretty great day. My afternoon was full of laughter, games (Huggermugger, Clue, Triominoes, and Coda), and good food (lunch at the conference; Giordano's stuffed pizza, salad, and cheesecake for dinner). It's so great to be home and see them all again!
Bible Reading: Mark 1:16-39; Luke 5:1-39
The beginning of the first passage tells of Jesus telling Simon (Peter), Andrew, James, and John to come and follow him. I've always been amazed by how quickly the scripture tells that they literally dropped everything and followed Jesus. It makes me wonder what they left behind and how they knew right away that this was a guy worth giving up your family and past for and worth following. Then it tells of Jesus casting out demons and healing people. It ends by saying that Jesus travelled throughout Galilee, preaching and casting out demons.
The second passage tells of Jesus performing a number of miracles and healing people. He tells Simon Peter and the others to cast their nets and they catch a ton of fish. He heals a man who had an advanced case of leprosy. But often he would go into the wilderness to pray. Then he healed the paralyzed man and told him to take up his mat and walk. Then there is the well-known verse 5:32 which says, "I have come to call sinners to turn from their sins, not to spend my time with those who think they are already good enough." Pretty amazing stuff!
Finally on Spring Break! All my classes are done and won't start back up again for another 11 days :)
Day 16 of Happiness
Being done!
I know it's not the end of the semester or anything, but it's been a long and busy number of weeks, so I'm really looking to having some time off this spring break to relax and hang out with my family. I'm not quite home yet, but it still makes me really happy knowing that I don't have to go to class tomorrow!
Speaking in Spanish
My Spanish prof and I drove to Wheaton today for a conference on immigration that's going on this weekend. We talked in Spanish for the entire car ride (and we did actually talk for the whole car ride) which was super fun. After going to Peru my conversation skills have definitely improved a lot and have seemed to stick around even now, 3 months after I've been back. It was even weird switching back to English once we got to the conference.
Bible Reading: Luke 4:16-30
This is the passage where Jesus returns to Nazareth and goes to the synagogue and reads from the scrolls of Isaiah. At first the people who were there were amazed at first, but later they became furious, mobbed him, and took him to the edge of a hill and almost pushed him off the cliff.
One more day of class! I've finished all my homework and I'm pretty much all packed. Now I just have to sit through my classes tomorrow. Then I'll be heading to Wheaton for a conference and then home on Saturday. I can't wait :)
Day 15 of Happiness
All packed and ready!
Usually I don't enjoy packing very much, but since I know it means I'm going home, it made me really happy and excited. It's been a while since I've been home so I'm really looking forward to it.
Puddle jumping
Today was a pretty gray, rainy day. But my friend and I didn't really mind it and we had fun jumping in puddles on the way back from lunch.
Bible Reading: John 4:43-54
This passage tells about Jesus travelling through Galilee. He is asked by a government official in Capernaum to heal his son because he was very sick and about to die. Jesus then asks, "Must I do miraculous signs and wonders before you people will believe in me?" But Jesus tells the man that his son will live. Later the man finds out that his son is just fine and that his fever had suddenly disappeared at exactly the same time that Jesus had told him his son would live. How could anyone not believe in Jesus after a miracle like that? But I still understand Jesus' frustration that it often takes a miraculous sign for us humans to believe in him. We should trust and believe in Him even if he doesn't perform miracles.
Being done with my homework and classes for the day
As I've mentioned before, Tuesdays are my fullest, hardest days. So basically I was just really happy when everything was over and turned in and I could just come back to my room and relax.
Bible Reading: John 4:1-42
This passage was about Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well and offering her living water.
Spring Break is just a couple days away and no one feels like doing work (or at least I don't think I'm the only one...). Please pray for me that I will be able to focus and get everything done that I need to before I leave on Thursday. I can't wait to come home and see my family and have a break from school for a while :)
Day 13 of Happiness
Spanish conversation groups
This semester I am a conversation group leader for some students in Spanish 102. Basically they meet with me for half an hour each week and we work on pronunciation, speaking skills, review what they've been learning in class, etc. I have super great students and they always make me smile :)
Bible Reading: John 3:22-36; Luke 3:19-20
The first passage is about when one of John the Baptist's disciples comes and tells him that the man John had said was the Messiah was also baptizing people and that everyone was going to him instead of to John and his disciples. Instead of getting mad that Jesus was "stealing his business," John says that he is not the Messiah, but he is here to prepare the way for Him. And that He has come from above is greater than anyone else and everyone should believe in Him. Then the verses in Luke just tell of John the Baptist being imprisoned by Herod.
This weekend and this day have gone by super fast, but I only have one more week of classes before Spring Break so that's exciting! Today was one of those crisp, chilly days, but the sun was out and the sky was blue and it was beautiful :)
Day 12 of Happiness
Ice cream and good conversation
This afternoon I went out to eat ice cream (even though it was around 20 degrees outside) with my professor and some of the girls from the Honors English class I took first semester my freshman year. I don't have classes with them anymore really because they're all English majors, so I always enjoy our occasional get-togethers. It's nice to catch up with them and the conversation is always great and filled with laughter. And the ice cream was really yummy :)
Bible Reading: John 3:1-21
This is the passage where Nicodemus comes to talk with Jesus. I really liked this passage and I even read it twice. It just makes a lot of sense, even thought it is talking about the kind of abstract concept of being "born again." Jesus tries to explain to Nicodemus about how the Holy Spirit can give new life from heaven.
I found a lot of the verses very full of truth. I thought I'd share a couple.
"'The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.'" --John 3:5
"'I assure you, I am telling you what we know and have seen, and yet you won't believe us. But if you don't even believe me when I tell you things that happen here on earth, how can you possibly believe if I tell you what is going on in heaven?'" --John 3:11-12
"'There is no judgement awaiting those who trust him. But those who do not trust him have already been judged for not believing in the only Son of God. Their judgement is based on this fact: The light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. They hate the light because they want to sin in the darkness. They stay away from the light for fear their sins will be exposed and they will be punished. But those who do what is right come to the light gladly, so everyone can see that they are doing what God wants.'" --John 3:18-21
Sorry it's been a couple of days! I've been busy with homework and friend stuff and honestly just forgetful. So here's a 3-day combined post and hopefully I'll be back to posting at least a little bit everyday after this.
Happiness
Some more nice weather :)
Good lunch conversation
The two days ago (I think), one of Tiaira's friends joined us at our lunch table and we spent the whole meal talking and debating about books and movies. Now that's a topic I could go on about forever :)
Craig's Cruisers and Applebee's with our brother floor
Last night we had a floor date with our brother floor and we went to Craig's Cruisers and played laser tag and did go karts. Afterwards we went to Applebee's for half off apps (appetizers are half price after 10pm). It was really fun and nice to hang out with the guys (and girls).
Bible Reading: John 1:19-2:25
This passage tells of John the Baptist and Jesus and the first disciples. Then it goes on to Jesus' first miracle at the wedding at Cana where he turned water into wine. After that is the story of Jesus chasing the merchants and money changers out of the temple.
It's already pretty late so I think this one will be pretty short (to balance out yesterday's really long one!)...
Day 8 of Happiness
Snow-covered trees
Even though it was much colder today and it snowed last night, I still smiled when I opened up the curtains this morning and saw the trees covered in snow.
SPEC meeting
I am on the leadership team for Calvin's education club which is called SPEC (Society for Professional Educators at Calvin) and today we had our monthly meeting which is open to all Calvin students (well, usually just education majors come...). It was about inclusion (including students with disabilities in normal classrooms) and the speaker was really great and talked about a lot of interesting and useful things. There was also a much bigger turnout than there has been at other meetings this year, so that made us leadership team members really happy :)
Peru slideshow
This afternoon I put together a slideshow of pictures from Peru. Our Peru group is leading the Spanish Chapel next Tuesday and we're showing the slideshow at the beginning and end. It made me sad and wish I could go back, but it also made me happy to remember all the great times we had and what a wonderful experience it was.
Bible Reading: Mark 1:1-13
This passage is titled "Preparing the Way for Jesus" in my Bible and it talks about John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus and later baptizing Jesus. Then Jesus goes into the wilderness and is tempted.
Tuesdays are my busiest days. I have four classes: 1 in the morning, 2 after lunch, and one at night from 6-9. I also have the leadership team meeting for the education club that I am a part of. So it's a full day. But because of my productivity this weekend and yesterday, I was actually done with all my homework for today and I had some free time which was very nice. I also have only one class tomorrow which is really nice (and it's a class that we rarely have homework for).
Day 6 of Happiness
There were lots of things that made me happy today and I actually have time to write about them so I thought I'd write a little more than I usually do :)
Talking in my sleep :)
My roommate informed me that I was talking in my sleep last night and she wrote it down. Apparently I said, "Ughhh. Why are you buying so much? We don't need that much bacon!" Of course I was embarrassed at first, but then the hilarity overcame my embarrassment (at least most of it) and we laughed about it for a while. Thankfully she said this was the first time I've talked in my sleep...
Children's Lit. Class
This class has definitely become one of my favorites of this semester. It's usually dual-taught by 2 professors but today just one of them was there. He's super funny and went off on a bunch of random, short tangents about buying moose heads at auctions (didn't really happen), trying to fit door-sized paintings into a small Toyota (really happened), etc. The focus of today's class was to talk about folk tales so of course he told us a folk tale to introduce us to the genre. The folk tale he told was apparently one that was told in concentration camps during the Holocaust. I will try to give a retell it here for you guys. It was about a
violinist who was a prisoner at Auschwitz. He had been there for 6 months,
which is longer than most people lived there. The way that he would stay sane was
that at night he would swing his legs over the edge of his bunk, raise his
arms, close his eyes, and play the Corelli violin concerto. Everyone else
thought he was crazy because he had no bow or violin. No one else could hear
him, but he could hear each note. And he would do this every night. One day,
late at night, the guards opened the doors, turned on the lights, and read off
the numbers of the people that were going to be led out through the dark doors
(presumably to the gas chambers). The violinist pulled up his sleeve to look at
the number tattooed on his arm because he was sure that this time he would be
called since he had already been there for 6 months. But miraculously his
number was not called.
He watched as the group of people whose numbers were called were lead out
through the dark doors. The next day, there was a new group of prisoners
brought in. The violinist looked at the new faces and there among them was the Concertmaster
of the Berlin Philharmonic! He was very excited and called out to the Concertmaster
but he did not reply. For Auschwitz was a place of silence. That night the
violinist tried again to speak to the Concertmaster who had taken the bunk
directly across from him. But still he did reply. And that night the violinist
swung is legs over the edge of his bunk, raised his arms, closed his eyes, and
played the Corelli violin concerto just like he did every night. The next night
he spoke again to the Concertmaster but again he did not reply. Nor did he
reply the day after that, or the day after that, or the day after that. Finally
one night, after the he violinist had finished playing the Corelli violin
concerto, the Concertmaster said just one word: "Again."
So he played it again and the Concertmaster heard every note. The night
after that, when the violinist swung his legs over the edge of his bunk, raised
his arms, and prepared to play the Corelli violin concerto, the Concertmaster
did the same thing. They both closed their eyes and together they played the
Corelli violin concerto: the Concertmaster playing the top line and the
violinist playing the bottom. And that night not only did they hear the music,
but the others in the bunkroom heard it, and the guards heard it, and the
people in the town nearby who pretended that they didn't know what was going on
inside Auschwitz heard it. Even the stars heard their beautiful music.
The next day, late at night, the guards came in, turned on the lights, and
began calling out numbers. Again, the violinist pulled up his sleeve, knowing
up that this time his numberhad to be called. But again, his number was not
called. He looked over to smile at the Concertmaster. But the Concertmaster was
climbing down from his bunk because his numberhad been called. The violinist leapt down from his bunk and
called out one word: "Stay!" The Concertmaster said nothing.How can I accept
this incredible gift?he thought to himself. The Concertmaster disregarded the
violinist and started making his way toward the dark doors. But the violinist
called out again: "Hold him!" The remaining prisoners heeded his
command. They pinned the Concertmaster's arms and legs so he could not move and
covered his mouth so he could not cry out. The violinist looked
into the Concertmaster’s eyes, smiled, and turned to follow the rest of the
people whose numbers had been called out through the dark doors.
Miraculously, the
Concertmaster was still alive when all the prisoners at Auschwitz were freed.
He went to Poland and played for a while in an orchestra there. Then he decided
to cross the ocean and head to America. There he played across the country in
Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, and many
other cities. Finally he ended up in New York where he had the honor of playing
at Carnegie Hall. At the end of his concert, he walked to the front of the
stage, sat down, swung his legs over the edge, raised his violin, and played
the bottom line of the Corelli violin concerto. The audience was incredibly moved
and could hear the intense emotion with which he played the piece. They saw
tears running down his cheeks and assumed they were tears of joy. None of them
knew that he was crying for a violinist that he had met back in Auschwitz who
had sacrificed his own life. And as he closed his eyes, the Concertmaster could
hear the violinist join him and play along.
Sorry that ended up being a bit long...but I enjoyed writing it down. Folk tales are meant to be told orally, but I wanted to write down what I could remember so that I wouldn't forget it. And I figured I might as well share it with you all. I hope you liked it!
Reading for fun
Now that I'm not watching TV shows or going on Facebook in my free time, it's made me think of other fun ways that time. I've been doing a lot of reading for class but I've really missed having time (or at least choosing to use my free time) to read for fun. So during one of my gaps between classes I picked up The Book Thief which I think I started over winter break but still haven't finished. Not that it's not a good book (because it is!), I've just gotten so busy and haven't set aside much time to read for fun. So it was really nice to read some and not have it be an assignment!
Bible Reading: Luke 2: 39-52
This passage is about when 12-year-old Jesus and his parents go to Jerusalem for the Passover festival. His parents "lose" him and eventually find him (3 days later!) in the Temple with the religious teachers, "discussing deep questions." I think this passage is really interesting and it makes me wonder what it would have been like to be around Jesus when he was younger. Of course I wonder what it would have been like to be around him at all, but I'm sure he wasn't your normal kid. This passage says that "He was filled with wisdom beyond his years, and God placed his special favor upon him" and that in the Temple "all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers." I kind of feel bad for his parents... Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I can't imagine trying to raise a child who is both fully human and fully divine!
Another beautiful day! It really is amazing how much sun and warmer temperatures can affect everyone's moods. Haha, I guess seasonal depression (and seasonal happiness!) really is a real thing...
Day 6 of Happiness
Getting a piggy-back ride to dinner
When we headed out of the dorm and toward the dining hall, my friend Katherine from my floor asked if anyone wanted a piggy-back ride. How could I say "no"?! So she took me all the way through the door of the dining hall. We both smiled and laughed a lot :)
Bible Reading: Matthew 2: 13-23
In this passage an angel tells Mary and Joseph to flee to Egypt with baby Jesus. I can't imagine having to flee somewhere in order to protect my life, but Jesus and his parents did. And so many refugees have done so in more present day, too. Like the ones at my church. Sometimes I forget. I don't even know many of their stories or why exactly they had to leave their countries.
My Spanish class is about immigration so we've talked a fair bit about Jesus and other people in the Bible who were refugees and/or immigrants. If Jesus was a refugee, what does that mean in terms of how we should treat and regard the refugees and immigrants in the U.S. today? There are lots of big questions with complicated, unknown answers but it's still good to think and talk about it.
My day today began with an alarm clock mix-up. Surprisingly it had nothing to do with Daylight Savings Time. I turned my clock forward an hour before I went to bed just like I should. But I made the mistake of setting my alarm for PM instead of AM. So I awoke to my phone buzzing with a text from my friend who I was supposed to meet in the lobby for church 5 minutes before. After a quick "oh crap" when I realized what time it was and what had happened, I threw on the first pair of pants and shirt I could get my hands on and ran downstairs. Then in church I may or may not have accidentally dropped the offering basket and all the money that was in it on the floor. And I just awkwardly ran into a number of people (it was busy, but still...). But after that my day improved dramatically and it ended up being a really great day.
Day 5 of Happiness
Apple Pie a la Mode
Yes, I have kept to my dessert restrictions, but I haven't given them up completely. Today with dinner I kind of doubled up on dessert, having both apple pie and a little ice cream (with caramel sauce on top even!). It was delicious!
Having enough homework done that I could do fun things
I was very productive on Friday and Saturday, so I was able to do very little homework today and actually feel ok about it. And because of this I was able to relax and do some fun things like go to LOFT (Sunday evening worship service on campus) and watch The Help with a friend. It was a good day (at least after my somewhat shaky morning).
Bible Reading: Matthew 2:1-12
This passage tells of King Herod and the wise men. The wise men have always astounded me. How did these men (astrologers, magi, whatever they were...) know when the Messiah was going to be born and know that this star would lead them to Him?
It really is amazing how much more time I have now that I've given up Facebook and Netflix/TV-show-watching in general. I've gotten all of my homework for Monday down and a good chunk of my Spanish homework for Tuesday done. And I've still had time to do some fun stuff like watch some of Emma last night (it was with other people and I had gotten a lot of homework done so I allowed myself to watch some) and go climbing and to an orchestra concert today. So nice :)
Day 4 of Happiness
Hanging out with my floor
Often on the weekend people go home or go off and do various things, but this weekend it seems like most of my friends are around which is really nice. So yeah, it was fun going to meals and laughing with them and going to the library and being productive together. They make me happy and I'll miss not living with all of them next year.
Rock climbing!
Something that I've gotten into this semester is rock climbing. Calvin has a great indoor rock wall and we can use harnesses, climbing shoes, and everything we need for free which is awesome. I've enjoyed trying out the different routes, climbing the overhang, and just having fun and meeting some great people. Today I went with my friend Amanda :)
Not my own picture. Just so you see what it looks like!
Bible Reading: Luke 2: 21-39
So this passage is about when Mary and Joseph take Jesus to Jerusalem to do the "purification offering" and "present him to the Lord." And while in the temple they encounter Simeon and Anna. Honestly, I never really remember hearing this story so it was interesting to read it.
I love the verse that says "Joseph and Mary were amazed at what was being said about Jesus." I can't imagine what that must have been like. I know they were visited by angels and that they knew the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit and everything, but it must have been weird having all the visitors and people like Simeon and Anna coming up and praising God, blessing them, spreading the news about Jesus, etc. What was it like being the parents of the Messiah? Having a son who is fully human but fully divine? I'm sure it must have been a wonderful life, but a weird one.
Things are continuing to go well and I've made it to Day 3!
Day 3 of Happiness
The weather!
I don't know what the weather is like where you are today, but in Grand Rapids where I am it is absolutely gorgeous today! The sun is shining and the temperature has finally broken 40 degrees. I didn't even wear a coat to my math class this afternoon :) (granted the building it's in is about 100 meters away from the door of my dorm). Dripping was constantly heard across campus because the crazy amounts of snow are finally starting to melt. It's amazing how warm the 40s can feel after the frigid, snowy winter that we've had. I spotted at least one guy wearing shorts and a number of girls wearing skirts and spring-like clothes. We're all hoping it won't regress to being cold and snowy again, but knowing how unpredictable the weather in the Midwest is and that it's only the beginning of March, I'm sure this crazy winter isn't quite over yet. But still, it was great to enjoy the beautiful weather we had today and it definitely put a smile on my face.
Going for a run
Since the weather was so wonderful and since one of my changes that I want to make is exercising more, I decided that it would be a great day to go for a run outside. I did 20 minutes on the stationary bike inside first to warm up my legs and so that I knew I would hopefully get at least 30 minutes of exercise in total between biking and running. But man was it nice running outside. This is the first year that I'm not doing track for a long time, so I have to admit that I've missed running a bit. Not enough to make me join the team (there are other reasons, too), but it still felt great to run again and of course the sunny, warm weather made it even better. I had to do a lot of puddle hopping and dodging because all the snow is starting to melt and I didn't run very far or for very long, but it was still a very nice run.
The weather and my run have definitely put me in a better mood and I've already been super productive this afternoon and evening. I got my exercising done and I already finished my homework for Monday! Of course I have all my Spanish homework to do by Tuesday night and other homework to work on, but still, it's been a good Friday and my weekend has started off well.
Bible Reading: Luke 2:1-20
This passage is Luke's account of the story leading up to the birth of Jesus. It also includes the part where the angels come to the shepherds and tell them the "good news of great joy." It makes me wonder what it would be like to have been one of those shepherds that saw the angels and heard those message. Even though they did say "don't be afraid" I think I would have been pretty startled if an angel and then a bunch more appeared and started talking about a Messiah and singing. But I can understand that it would make the shepherds curious to go see the baby Savior they were talking about.
It's Day 2 and things seem to be going well so far! I am definitely noticing that I have more free time which is nice. I just hope that I can continue to use it in meaningful, beneficial ways. Day 2 of Happiness
Children's Lit. class devotions
At the beginning of each class we do a short devotion and today was my turn to lead it. Since it's a children's lit class I thought reading a picture book would be appropriate. I originally wanted to read a Max Lucado book since I know I like his stories, but the one I found in the Calvin library was more of a Christmas story so I decided that might not be the best one to read on the second day of Lent. So I looked around online to see if there were any Lent picture books. Basically there aren't. But one I came across which seemed appropriate was called The Tale of Three Trees. It's a great story about three little trees on a mountaintop who dream about what they want to be when they grow up. The first little tree wants to be a beautiful treasure chest, the second a strong ship, and the third just wants stay on the mountaintop and grow tall and point to God. None of them end up getting exactly what they hoped, but in a way they do each fulfill their dreams. The first tree is made into a feed box which ultimately is the manger where Jesus lays, the second is not made into a large ship but a small fishing boat which Jesus and the disciples are in when Jesus calms the storm, and the third is cut into beams which are eventually used for the cross that Jesus dies on. My short summary doesn't do it justice, but I liked it a lot and it made me happy and you all should try to find a copy of the actual book and read the whole story.
Here are some of the beautiful illustrations from the book:
Illustrations by Tim Jonke, Copyright 1989
ESL class
Every Thursday night a couple other Calvin students and I drive over to a church in a very Hispanic neighborhood to help with the ESL class. Most of us are there because we need "cultural points" for our Spanish classes, but I think we all enjoy it a lot and would choose to come even if we didn't have to for class. English is a crazy language and it's not easy to explain pronunciation and other things to non-English speakers, but it's a really fun time. I love getting to know our "students" (weird to call them that since they're older than us), spending time with new and old Calvin friends, speaking in Spanish, laughing, eating, and just having a blast.
Bible Reading: Matthew 1:1-25
Matthew 1:1-17 is one of those genealogy sections of the Bible. I've never really understood why they were included in the Bible... But I really liked the note that is on this page in my Bible. It says "In the first 17 verses of Matthew we meet 46 people spanning 2,000 years. All were ancestors of Jesus, but they varied considerably in personality, spirituality, and experience. Some were heroes (and heroines) of faith--like Abraham, Isaac, Ruth, and David. But some had shady reputations--like Rahab and Tamar. Many were ordinary--like Hezron, Ram, and Akaim. Others were evil--like Manasseh and Abijah. God's work has never been limited by human failures or sins; he works through ordinary people. God used all kinds of people to bring his Son into the world; he uses all kinds today to accomplish his will. And he wants to use you." This was very encouraging and made me see at least somewhat of a reason why the genealogies are included in the Bible. In this verses after the genealogy, Matthew tells the very abbreviated version of the story leading up to Jesus' birth. It's short and to the point, but still an amazing story as always.
Well, my roommate just turned out the light so I think this will be all for now. So far so good with my goals and challenges!
So today was Ash Wednesday which marks the first day of the season of Lent. I've never really done much for Lent. I've always heard of people giving up dessert or meat or other things and I've tried once or twice (always with some sort of food thing), but it never really felt like it had meaning and I never stuck with it. Sometimes I would joke with my friends and say I was giving up chocolate for Lent (which would be hard for many people, but not for me since I don't like it and wouldn't be eating it anyway). But lately I've been thinking about some of my habits and how I spend my time and I've realized that there are some things that I could change that might make me feel happier, closer to God and my friends, more successful in school, and more satisfied with my life.
Here is the list of things I am going to try to do or not do this Lent. Some of them are pretty small, some of them don't necessarily have anything to do with Lent, but there just some ideas of changes I'd like to implement in my life and see what happens.
No Facebook
Rationale: I think we all know how much time we can unknowingly spend on Facebook. It's so easy just to scroll down my news feed forever and ever and then hit refresh a few minutes later and do it again. There are definitely nice things about Facebook like being able to keep somewhat updated with the lives of my friends who I am not able to see regularly, but I decided that it wasn't really a necessary part of my life since I can still communicate with the people I want through other means and that it would be good to take a break from it.
No Netflix or watching TV shows in general
Rationale: I signed up for the month-long free trial of Netflix a couple of weeks ago. It is a wonderful way to watch TV shows and movies online legally, but it is also incredibly addictive. I tell myself I'm just going to watch one episode of something as a break from doing homework, and then next thing I know I've watched 3 episodes and it's 11pm and then I have to stay up super late to finish my homework and then I'm tired the next day, etc. So anyways, let's just say that I've watched way too many episodes recently and I don't think it's good for me or my academics.
Note: I am allowing myself to watch movies if I don't have too much homework/other stuff to do and if it is with other people.
Read the Bible, journal (via this blog probably), and pray daily
Rationale: I've always struggled with this part of being a Christian. There are so many things I need and want to do each day, but reading the Bible never seems to be on the top of my list like it should be. So I really want to change that. Prayer is another thing that I don't do as much as I should, so I'm hoping to change that, too.
Goal: My Bible has a handy dandy Bible Reading Plan in the back. During Lent I'm hoping to read through the Gospels (following the more chronologically-ordered plan which skips around from book to book). I'll try to post some of my thoughts, favorite verses, prayers and prayer requests up on this blog. Hopefully I'll keep myself accountable and actually do this everyday!
40 Days of Happiness
Before I decided to give up Facebook I noticed that a number of my friends were doing something which I think was called 100 Days of Happiness. Basically they were just pledging to post a picture of something that made them happy each day for 100 days. I thought this was a cool way to make sure not to just be caught up in the bad things in our lives, but also to remember that there are good things in life, too, and to be grateful for what we have. I never got around to trying this before I gave up Facebook, but I still really do want to try this so I'm going to be doing it through this blog. I won't necessarily have pictures everyday (at least not my own since my camera battery just died and I may or may not know where my charger is...), but I will write about at least one thing that made me happy each day. I will try to keep this up at least for the 40 days of Lent and quite possibly I will continue afterwards to do it for the whole 100 days.
Eat healthier
Rationale: Calvin's dining halls are not McDonalds, but they don't exactly serve the most healthy food possible either. Now that I'm not living at home where my parents always did a great job of serving me fruit and vegetables, I haven't been as good as I should about eating my fruits and veggies. Too many of my breakfasts consist of one of Calvin's delicious donut/pastry type things that are so abundant and appetizing and I have some form of dessert with nearly every lunch and dinner. Not good.
Goal: So I'm going to try my hardest to eat some type of fruit and/or vegetable with every meal. Also, I will try to limit the amount of dessert I eat. I haven't decided what my exact limitation will be. Maybe 1 dessert a day to start and then move toward 1 a week? We'll see...
Exercise more!
Rationale: I have been involved in sports for almost my whole life and this is the first time that I am not participating in some sport or another. So now that I don't have a mandatory practice for 2 hours a day, it's been a little harder to motivate myself to get up and do some form of exercise. The weather has definitely had something to do with it since I can't do any fun outside activities like playing Ultimate Frisbee right now. But Calvin has a great exercise room, pool, indoor track, etc., so I really have no excuse. I have been climbing at the super great wall here a number of times, but that isn't exactly the cardiovascular exercise that I should be doing.
Goal: I know that 30 minutes of daily exercise is what I should be aiming for, but I don't think I'll be able to do that, at least not right away. So for now my goal is going to be to try to exercise in some way, shape, or form 4 times a week and one of those days can be climbing.
Be more proactive about doing my Spanish homework!
Rationale: This semester I am taking Spanish 370 which is called Advanced Cultural Topics and the topic changes each semester. The topic for this semester is immigration. It is a fascinating class, but there is a LOT of homework, especially reading (in Spanish, of course)! So I've been struggling with completing the homework, basically, and I need to change that because I can't really drop the class and I want to pass. It's a night class and only meets once a week on Tuesdays from 6-9, so it's hard for me to space out the homework and not just leave it all for right before class.
Goal: I hope to start my Spanish earlier and spread it out over a number of days. I will try not to get distracted and allow myself to take breaks (whether to do other homework, practice my juggling (see below!), go exercise, or something else).
Day 1 of Happiness
Juggling!
For a class I'm taking about health education and movement in the elementary classroom we spend the first 5 or so minutes of each class learning how to juggle. It's been a challenge, but I'm definitely improving. It's super fun and a great way to start each class.
Going for a drive with Alizabeth
Tonight my friend Alizabeth, one of the freshmen who lives on my floor, and I went for a drive to the library in downtown Grand Rapids to pick up a book I needed for my children's lit class (more on this tomorrow). It was really fun and I loved getting to know her a little better, failing at navigating our way in the library without help (GR public libraries are also way ahead of Chicago Public Libraries and have a cool self-checkout system which is a bit confusing to figure out at first), laughing about my bad parking skills, debating about what kind of lotion to get at CVS, etc. Also, the city is beautiful at night and you can actually see a few stars here, unlike in Chicago.
Dorm Worship
Later tonight I went to dorm worship which is held in the basement every Wednesday night. Going to dorm worship is another thing that I hope to do during Lent (and the rest of the semester). I went almost every week last year and loved it but for some reason this was the first time I went this semester. This week the theme was being children of God so we watched VeggieTales; ate goldfish, animal crackers, and fruit snacks; and drank Capri Suns. We watched the Madame Blueberry episode which is definitely one of my favorites. If you haven't seen it, you should watch it! I think it's a wonderful story with a great message and it really fit with some of the changes I'm making and things that I've been thinking about lately. We should always be thankful for what we have. Material things aren't what give us happiness.
Here's one of the great songs which talks about how a thankful heart is a happy heart :)
Bible Reading
Sadly I actually didn't get to this today, but I promise I'll start tomorrow and hopefully I won't be skipping any other days.
Prayer Requests
Today I had a test in my science education class and 2 interviews. One interview was for Project Neighborhood (off-campus houses where Calvin students live in intentional community) where I am hoping to live next year. The other was for a position as a program leader working with kids' programs at the nature preserve on Calvin's campus. So I hope that they went well and that I will be content with whatever the results are.
I'm trying to figure out what I want to do with my life, whether I want to get a minor in addition to my 2 majors, etc. So I am praying that God will give me peace even though I don't have everything figured out but also that he will give me guidance and help me figure out what He wants me to be doing.
Closing Note
So yeah, this is what I'm going to try to keep up over the next weeks leading up to Easter. We'll see how it goes. I'm hoping that by giving up some things like Facebook and watching TV shows that I will have more time to spend doing meaningful things like reading the Bible, spending quality time with friends, and getting exercise instead of being on my computer all the time.
