http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/ Weblog for Summit Semester program in Pagosa Springs, CO en Copyright 2008 Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:58:53 -0700 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss *We ought to make the moments notes Of happy, glad Thanksgiving; The hours and days a silent phrase Of music we are living. And so the theme should swell and grow As weeks and months pass o'er us, And rise sublime at this good time, A grand Thanksgiving chorus. * *------ Thanksgiving, by Ella Wheeler Wilcox * Yesterday the lodge was filled with family, dear friends, a long Thanksgiving buffet, and two whole tables of pies and end-of-the-meal sweets. It was a grand afternoon of sharing in the joys of what God has done, and given to us this semester. Outside, the snowflakes danced to the ground in an intricate, airy waltz It seemed like they had come to let us know that the season is changing; it's time to reflect on the blessings of the past three months; it's time to go home. Now the snow is melting, dripping off the trees. The walk across the driveway to graduation dinner was a muddy one. Dressed in our finest attire, we sat around formal place settings and heard each other give personal highlights of the semester. One thread tied all of the speeches together - friendships. Living in a close community, they develop quickly. When internet and cell phones can't keep you from people, and you're all subject to the same Dr. Bauman scrutiny, bonds are formed. When the Summit bubble protects you from the outside world and all it's trappings, you suddenly realize what the highest things of life are: knowing and loving God, and the people around you. White Christmas lights wrapped around large wooden beams make the lodge dining room glow softly. The candles on each table give just enough light to illuminate the faces of friends around the table. The Christmas tree, hunted down in the forest last week, glows and glitters in the corner. All the ornaments were crafted by hands that are now wringing, thinking about going home. The beauty of graduation night is also it's sorrow. The semester is over. Somehow, though, it's really just the beginning. When the candles are blown out, and we travel home tomorrow, it will be a sort of starting over. I am not the girl that I was months ago. Dr. Bauman has taught me that "just because something is widely accepted doesn't mean it shouldn't be examined." Dr. Williams showed me the beauty of poetry, and the power of words. Dr. Moreland helped me to grasp the depth and importance of philosophy. Mr. Mandt showed me that physics can help us understand the stars, and the God who created them. More than all of those things, students and staff have helped me to learn how to love, and be loved. They have spoken truth into my life, challenged me, and enlarged my heart to see the hand of God at work in daily life. They extended the hand of friendship and I took hold - I will never be the same. In a few hours, we will part ways. The red-eye shuttle will be leaving for the flight out of Durango, splitting up the community we've worked so hard to develop. The snow continues to melt, drip, drip, dripping off of the trees and onto the bushes below. The season is changing; it's time to take what we've learned HOME. The real world is calling, loud and clear. We have become what Dr. Williams calls, "stalwart friends of truth," and it is now our job to appear. Our task is daunting, but our God is faithful. I, for one, am truly thankful for this time at Summit Semester. May God grant grace to all of us for this next season of life. http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/final_thoughts.php http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/final_thoughts.php Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:58:53 -0700 With only four days remaining here at summit semester, you can feel the mood starting to change. The students are excited to get back home, to bring everything they have learned and discovered back home to their daily lives. But there is also a sense of sadness. It will be painful to leave everything that we have come to know and love about Summit Semester, but the most difficult thing will be saying goodbye to each other. Living in such close quarters to twenty-seven of your peers day in and day out creates many close friendships. However, all good things must come to an end. Picking up the action since the last blog, I will start with Friday night. Four of the guys came up with the brilliant idea to go on a hike and sleep outside in ten degree weather. We discovered the next morning that they were able to get a grand total of three hours of sleep. On Saturday, we were taken into Pagosa Springs to use internet or just chill in a coffee shop and read. That evening, the girls had a slumber party which included watching Kung Fu Panda. For obvious reasons, I don't really know any other details. Sunday we attended Grace church for the last time. Directly after church, a group of us went to a grille to celebrate Brandon's and Julie's birthday. It was a lot of fun even though the food took an hour and a half to come out. The rest of the day was pretty calm, with people heading to bed earlier than usual to prepare for classes the next day. Monday we had our very last Politics class where we concluded a lesson on the constitutional convention and discussed the founding fathers. This was followed by Theology class where we are learning about Martin Luther and his beliefs. And finally, we had Literature class. We are studying the poetry of Walter de la Mare. I can't talk for everyone, but personally, I have a new found respect for poetry. I'm sure this has been said in every blog preceding this one, but it cannot be stressed enough what an incredible teacher Dr. Bauman is. He plays the devil's advocate, challenging your beliefs and ideas, forcing you to rethink everything you think you know. Also, he seems to have a full understanding on every subject you can think of, which is very helpful. Many of the students will plan one on one time with him, which he is always willing to do. Monday evening we had a Christmas celebration. It began with a group of us chopping a Christmas tree which was then set up in the dining room. After dinner, everybody began different Christmas decorations. This included decorating gingerbread cookies, gingerbread houses, popcorn streamers and finally, the Christmas tree. We also had the hot chocolate and apple cider. Everyone was in the Christmas spirit and had a lot of fun. Now everyone has their sights on Thanksgiving. Nearly everyone has a family dish they will be preparing. The dinner will be ginormous. We are expecting to have ninety people in all. The excitement is as "palpable as a globed fruit." In conclusion, this Summit Semester has been incredible. I've learned more than I could have hoped, and made many lasting friendships. This experience has had a profound impact on me and many others. A big thank you to Dr. Bauman, the staff and everyone else that made this Summit Semester possible. http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/christmas_and_slumber_parties.php http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/christmas_and_slumber_parties.php Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:13:29 -0700 The Call, a new thought jumped out at me. Let me quote him: "First and foremost we are called to Someone, not to something or to somewhere." In other words, Calling is primarily about following God, not what vocation you pursue. What a freeing thought! While it doesn't answer all questions, it puts our focus where it ought to be, on the Caller. Secondly, I was shaped by the lecture we listened to on the law. Some background might be helpful. There are two approaches to living out the gospel. We can either act like orphans or sons. Orphans try to live the gospel life on their own. Often, they end up replacing God with the law. As they try to prove their own goodness (by how well they keep the law), they replace the righteousness that Christ has freely given them. Using the law to motivate change replaces the Holy Spirit's work. Finally, if people keep the law to make life better, the law replaces the Father's care for us. By trying to be a good Christian, orphans have accidentally slipped into idolatry! This ties into the third lesson that I have learned from our small group: how to use the Father's love. This is what has been the most encouraging thing for me. When I came to the semester, I lived like an orphan. For the most part, the law had practically replaced God in my live. Through the small groups and talks with Eric, I have been learning to accept, trust and rest in my Heavenly Father's love. Even better, I have realized that I have a great example of that love in my earthly Father. He is always reminding me that "No matter what you do, I will still love you." There have been a couple times that I have called home disappointed with how life was going. After giving advice on how deal with my problems, dad would have two questions for me. "Do you know that I love you? Do you know that I am proud of you?" He's not saying that he doesn't care how I live. The time that he has put into teaching me how to live makes that obvious. Rather, by reminding me of his love my dad is telling me that I don't need to earn his love. I already have it! That is exactly what my Heavenly Father's love is like. I already have it and nothing I do will make Him love me more or less! As I have begun to enjoy that love, life has gained new joy. That is worth as much or more than academic knowledge I have gained this semester. ]]> http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/big_lessons_in_small_settings.php http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/big_lessons_in_small_settings.php Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:19:32 -0700 I remember reading the blogs of last year's Summit Semester students when I was looking into applying for the program. The most memorable one (it may, in all actuality, be the only one I read. I don't really recall), said something along the lines of, "A piece of advice: never mention in conversation at mealtimes how few days we have left here. It will only emit groans and dampen the mood of your dining experience." It's funny that this one thing stuck with me. Even before I had an idea of what I might be doing when I got here, I knew that I apparently wouldn't want to leave. Apparently there would be a great deal of things that would make me want to stay. I would like to thank whoever wrote that. It gave me the best preparation I could have received, and I can't get it out of my head. You spoke the truth--this place is a special one. It is about to become one hundred percent more special. I just learned that upwards of seventy people are planning to spend their Thanksgiving holiday at Snow Wolf Lodge. That is a frightening thought; this place sometimes seems crowded with thirty-seven. However, despite my fears, I think they're coming anyways, and coming by the hoards. A few days ago, the cooks put up a list of necessary (and unnecessary--we'll get to this in a moment), food items needed for the Thanksgiving smorgasbord. They left room for us to sign up, volunteering our time and recipes to help out. I felt myself very charitable for agreeing to make a single sweet potato casserole, but then Olivia informed me she had signed up to make ten pies. "Could you help?" I was stunned. "Ten pies? Good night, Olivia... (silence) yes, I'll help." Needless to say, we are a generous bunch--perhaps unnecessarily so. If any of you parents decided not to join us for Thanksgiving on account of a potential scarcity of desserts, book a flight; I can assure you, there will be enough pie to go around. But cooking plans are not the only ones we're making. It seems like every day someone asks me what I'm doing in the spring. He actually means, "What are you going to do the minute that you walk into your house?" I don't really know the answer to either question, and when I ask him the same, he doesn't either, but we all speculate. We are all making plans, and we hope they will appropriately accommodate the changes we have undergone since our arrival. Some of these plans involve one another. I anticipated meeting people here who would greatly affect me, and I have not been disappointed. Bonds have formed, and they're pulling us all different places. Maybe the bonds pull you simply to a specific seat at the dinner table, or maybe they're pulling you to Saskatchewan for the summer (speaking hypothetically, sort of. It's Canada or bust for me, Tim and Colleen). Either way, it has been sweet to see the effects this family has had on its members. We copy one another (I have been known to say "ya'll" on occasion); we grow more similar every day. And it is not just our plans that begin to align; our convictions are beginning to do the same. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if we stayed here. What if these plans that we're making never come to fruition because we opt to stay in seclusion? Well, I think we'd have a blast eating pie together for the rest of our lives, but I think a lot of other people would be at a disadvantage. One of the greatest compliments I have ever received came from a student here. He said, "I find myself, when praying for people here, praying that God would send you into more people's lives who are like me. We've got a lot to learn from you." I think that's true of every single student here. People have a lot to learn from you, friends, and will only benefit from your presence in their lives. It has meant a great deal to me that I got to do life with you all for three months, but I think perhaps we should now look to see where this semester takes us. I feel certain it will bring us to things greater than we ever could have planned. http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/making_plans.php http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/making_plans.php Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:48:49 -0700 A lot has happened this past week. Along with learning from the culture in Santa Fe, New Mexico, we have been learning from each other in different areas. From sledding on cookie sheets after the first major snowfall, to vigorous talks at the dinner table, we have been seeking out truth in all we do, and the fun had while doing it is merely a bonus. We have been away from Snow Wolf Lodge this past weekend studying art and culture in Santa Fe. The diversion from the routine that I have held for the past two and a half months has given me time to reflect on all that has happened here. Additionally, Eric has been encouraging us to write about our experiences here thus far. More specifically, how our views on God and man have changed. How has our thinking improved on the subject? Has our relationship with the two changed? How do they interact and how are we supposed to interact? It ultimately goes back to the beginning of the semester when we began to answer the question, "What is a human being?" And, as many of the questions posed at the start of our time here, this one continues to come up in our conversations. I believe this new mindset is going to be a continual growing process that will carry on into my time back home. I am thankful for the constant support and encouragement I have received from my fellow classmates these past two months. We will all, no doubt, leave here changed, and eager to answer more questions that lie ahead of us. As I mentioned earlier, this past weekend we embarked on a four-day long voyage to Santa Fe, New Mexico! This trip has been talked about since the beginning of the semester, and we were all excited when it finally arrived. The trip brought into view all that we had been studying in our "Art and Culture" class. At the beginning of the semester, we were assigned the task of defining art as we saw fit. This seemingly simple assignment proved to be one of the most talked about, as well as one of the most frustrating subjects yet. For the last day of class, our "revised" definitions of art were brought back up and scrutinized by Mr. Pepiton. I know we have all learned to look at art in a different way and have learned to appreciate it with a new perspective, even if we have yet to define it entirely. We arrived in Santa Fe on Thursday afternoon and set out on our first adventure: an art-themed scavenger hunt down Canyon Road. As with anywhere we travel to, our large group seems to dominate any place we go. Downtown Santa Fe was no exception. We piled out of our vans and set off in search of Impressionistic, Fauvist, and Color Field art. The events on Thursday centered around impressionistic, and Friday we were introduced to modern and performing art. We visited Site Santa Fe, which was an annual art show featuring works created solely for the purpose of the exhibit. In a few short months, the pieces are either destroyed or given to charity. Afterwards, we visited the Georgia O'Keeffe museum and spent the rest of the afternoon exploring Santa Fe. My favorite event of the weekend was the Kronos Quartet concert Saturday evening. Now, before I continue giving all the juicy details of the weekend, I will refrain from writing out all of the events, since it has come to my attention that Trevor has already written about the weekend. Although much more could be said about our time there, I will turn my attention to our life back at Snow Wolf Lodge. I am pleased to announce the end of the strep throat epidemic. For six days now, all of us that were sick have returned to our healthy selves ready to complete the semester strong. It seemed like sickness had been lingering here since the start of the semester. Although many precautions were taken so as not to spread the sickness, I am positive we can credit this dashing triumph to our use of paper products at mealtimes (a hint to the cooks - the dish crews thoroughly enjoyed having such a small amount of cleanup!). Being back in the kitchen today, however, caused me to realize how grateful I am for the loudness and chaos that washing dishes entails. The weekend is over, and Monday is here. It's the last full week of classes. Time has gone by all to fast. I know the things I have learned throughout my time here will carry on into my life back home. As Dr. Bauman told us at the beginning of the semester, "routine is the key to success." Pray that we all continue this routine in these last two weeks, and into our time back home. http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/all_too_fast.php http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/all_too_fast.php Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:16:22 -0700 Nature Forms, Gaspé. It is an abstract work that, at first glance, simply looked like a lot of beautiful colors put together in an attractive, yet meaningless way. After talking to one of the guards and a closer inspection, however, I could see every image, except for bones, that O'Keeffe made the subjects of her other works. I guess that's one of the lessons I learned on the trip: There's so much more to any piece of art than first meets the eye that I shouldn't dismiss a piece after just a cursory glance. Next, we spent a pleasant afternoon enjoying the sights and sounds of the plaza area of Santa Fe. I ate the best fajita ever at a little fajita stand in the middle of the square (best part - it was only $4!). We wandered in and out of many charming shops and then Tim, Kristina, Abi and I headed back to the many art galleries of Canyon Road. St. Francis of Assisi's cathedral, however, sidetracked us partway there. This beautiful cathedral was under renovation but contained some of the most beautiful stained glass I've ever seen! After a quick picture with Tim by the "Keep of the Grass" sign, we continued on our way. Before the day ended we managed to revisit a gallery that contained the most amazing bronze sculptures I've ever seen. If anyone is interested, the artist's name is Ted Gall. Go online to his website and check-out some of his human face sculptures. After dinner at the Blue Corn Café, it was time for the play, Comedy of Errors, at the College of Santa Fe. Comedy of Errors is a slap-stick comedy from early on in Shakespeare's life. It was hilarious and completely lived up to its name. Finally, we headed home for another late night at the hotel, where we all stayed up posting pictures on facebook. Saturday we wandered the streets, actually the street, of a small town called Madrid. The street was lined with small art galleries. We strolled from gallery to gallery taking in all the sites and sounds. After regrouping and a short drive, we ended up at the Bronze Shindoni Foundry. The lawns surrounding the foundry were filled with some of the most amazing (and some of the least amazing), bronze sculptures I've seen. At the foundry, we watched a pouring. The waves of heat coming from the melted bronze were unreal. Even from fifteen feet away, it felt like I was standing right next to a blazing camp fire. We finally headed back to the hotel to prepare for our evening on the town. The evening started off with a delectable meal at a small, but fancy, Italian restaurant near the plaza area. The filet tenderloin meal was worth all $31. The triple chocolate mousse was out of this world. The evening's entertainment was the Kronos Quartet - a group of two violinists, one violist and a cellist. They play some of the hardest music in the world. A short, but chilly walk later, we had arrived at the theatre. The Kronos quartet was amazing. They are some of the most talented musicians I have ever heard! After a double encore, we headed back to the hotel for yet ANOTHER late night. That evening (morning actually), after one of the best conversations I've had in a while, I managed to get to bed at about two in the morning and catch a few hours of shut-eye before heading to the last gallery later that morning. The final gallery, a room of carving/ paintings by the artist Gaugy, took him thirteen years to complete. It's a massive work of religious art depicting well-known stories of the Bible. The artist (who happened to be there), was very unique in the way he created this work. He spent hours before starting each major section praying, asking God to paint through him. The end result is completely amazing and was the most spectacular work I saw during the whole trip. Whether hanging out with friends, enjoying the arts, trying to figure out what in the world an artist was trying to say, or learning about each other, the whole trip was unbelievable. I learned a ton in one weekend. I gained a whole new perspective on art. Although I've come back with many more questions about the arts than when I went, I also learned more than I ever thought I would. I grew closer to my fellow students and went to new depths in my friendships with some of them. Also, I just had fun. It was a "shamazing" and fantabulous weekend in Santa Fe.]]> http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/weekend_of_the_arts.php http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/weekend_of_the_arts.php Sun, 16 Nov 2008 21:08:45 -0700 Summit Semester Bio page to learn more about the staff and students of the 2008 Summit Semester.]]> http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/get_to_know_our_staffstudents.php http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/get_to_know_our_staffstudents.php Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:34:49 -0700 Today is another snowy afternoon here in this remote niche of the Colorado mountains. Imagine one of those thick, wet snows that sticks to every last twig and needle in the forest and makes the wood look like lace. That's what I'm seeing out my window. It's enough to fill this Ohioan with a child-like excitement for the winter months ahead. Today feels more quiet than usual, but that's partly because the last few days were anything but quiet. We Summiteers have survived another weekend of creativity, surprises, and good times. You never know what will happen next up here. For example, Saturday afternoon a handful of us played a rollicking game of lumberjack baseball. Bet you've never heard of it. Neither had I--or anyone else, for that matter. It involves hitting the ball in whatever direction you please with an axe (or with an axe handle, if the head happens to disengage). You then leap over all obstacles in your way (tables, chairs, couches, people), to get to base. Did I mention there are five bases? The secondary object is to get back to home base. The primary object is to have fun. The best part about lumberjack baseball is that the rest of the rules are relative. You never know what will happen next. For instance, if Jonathon hits the ball toward one of his own teammates (Heather, in this case), then it is perfectly okay for Heather to throw the ball out the door and down the driveway so her team can get more home runs. Let's say, in this instance, Charissa is one of those trying to make a home run. No one has a problem with it if the other team tackles her and drags her away from home plate, except maybe Charissa's team. Charissa's team may pick up home plate and try to carry it to her. No one has a problem with them carrying the base to the runner, except perhaps the opposing team, who may engage in an epic tug-of-war struggle over the base until they can tag Charissa out. Any of this is acceptable when playing lumberjack baseball. Another example of creativity: Not long after the afore-mentioned sport, the students were called together for a meeting. You never know what will happen when a meeting is called. Sure enough, this was no true meeting at all, but a surprise prepared for the girls. The guys divided us into groups and sent us to town on a scavenger hunt. We had to take pictures of ourselves with various objects, each picture being worth certain points. After our time had run out, each van received a box. Inside were notes of appreciation for each of us from each of the guys. But we weren't done yet. Upon arriving back at the Lodge, the guys surprised us yet again with an elegant appetizer dinner, which they served to us with stateliness and suave. After dinner, they told us to go get ourselves ready: we were going to do some line dancing! They had even hired callers. We had a grand ole time stompin' and clickin' and clappin' and skippin.' The close of the evening was the awards ceremony for the scavenger hunt. Every girl left with a smile on the face and a chocolate in the pocket. See, what did I tell you? You can never tell what will happen when a meeting is called. Other enjoyable events occurred this weekend, like when the youth group of Grace in Pagosa came over and surprised us with crepes for dessert Sunday night. But we've also had some misfortunes, like the spread of our strep epidemic. Despite all our efforts at containing the disease, it seems several people contract it every day. Please pray for our health for the remaining few weeks, especially as we are scheduled to go to Santa Fe this weekend for our art trip. Dr. Bauman is gone this week, so classes have been a bit different. This morning, our very own Michael Ortiz talked about the prayer in Matthew 6 and what principles we can glean for our prayers. The next hour we went off by ourselves and prayed the Lord's Prayer, utilizing what we'd just learned. Something about having a snowy wood all around you and watching new flakes pepper down noiselessly, each so delicately different, inspires awe for the Master Mind behind it all. It had been a while since I'd sought the stillness of the outdoors in order to find God. It was good for me. There's been a lot of talk lately about going home. You may have noticed how many times this has been mentioned in the blogs. The big question is, once we're home, how will we keep up the disciplines and relationships we've been developing here? Thanks to Eric Smith, who spoke this morning on scheduling, Dr. Bauman, Dr. Moreland, and Dr. Williams, I've got some ideas. I don't know how it will look exactly, but that's life. You never know what God's got up His sleeve, but that just forces you further into His arms. And that's the best place to be, whether out in the world, back home with family in Ohio, or watching flakes fall from Snow Wolf Lodge. http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/you_never_know.php http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/you_never_know.php Mon, 10 Nov 2008 21:02:49 -0700 Well, we only got three weeks left here at Summit Semester (you've probably heard that exact same line since the first blog...but a different number). It truly is hard to believe that we were all strangers to each other two months ago. We've all come to know each other so well. Time does fly when you are having fun and a strict schedule. My alarm goes off at 7:58am every week day. My roommate and I fall out of bed and throw some water on our faces so we can see straight to crawl out for breakfast at 8:00 (we have that procedure down to a science by now). After breakfast we then have a morning prayer (usually as preparation for the mental whippings we so commonly receive in Bauman's classes), and then it's off to our three hours of classes on politics, theology, and English literature. In politics, we've been discussing/debating the topic of public education. Whose job is it? Why isn't it working well? Is education even a right that the government should protect for all people? These are all questions that we've been trying to answer in and out of class. In theology this week, the topic of study has been the life and beliefs of theologians just prior to and during the early stages of the Renaissance, such as: John Wycliffe, John Huss, Francisco Petrarch, Sir Thomas More, and Erasmus. It's amazing to see just how grounded in their "radical" beliefs those church fathers were for the sake of "reforming" the Catholic faith of their time. And finally, in English Literature, we've been studying John Milton's "Paradise Lost" and multiple works of Thomas Gray. I had heard of "Paradise Lost" before, but I didn't give Milton nearly the respect he deserved for his work. Milton wrote his 11,000 line poem about the fall of Satan and man while being blind. Milton's skill of imagery makes you feel like you're falling through CHAOS with Satan all the way down to hell, or in heaven witnessing the Son volunteering to save humanity from its eventual fall. Thomas Gray, on the other hand, is not nearly as well known as Milton, but we've all quoted Gray at some point. "Where ignorance is bliss, 'tis folly to be wise." But, as I'm sure you all know, it's not just work up here. The other weekend a group of six guys (including myself), hit up Durango for a day of amazing pizza, thrift book stores, and serious relaxation. But no matter where we go, we can't seem to get away from things we're learning either in class or in small groups. During our last small group meeting before that weekend, a testimony was given on the frailty of life. On our drive home from Durango we received a "crash course" in that concept. About 200 yards directly in front of our vehicle, we witnessed a garbage truck hit another car head on. The garbage truck flipped, but the driver was fine. The other car and driver were not in the same condition. The engine of the car was where the dashboard should have been, and the dashboard was pinning the driver against his seat and he couldn't move. There was not a lot we could do but call 911 and talk to the driver. That wreck all too well brought home the "frailty of life" concept. We don't know when our time is up in this world. We need to live every day with the intensity like it's our last, and make a difference in our own milieu ("word of the day"- compliments of Mandy). It's Friday today finally, and the mood is "barely restrained excitement" right now at four in the afternoon (but that all changes after dinner). We are getting ready for a nice pizza dinner, prepared by our awesome cooks, and then its nonstop action and excitement till we pass out from exhaustion (parents, if you are wondering that's usually around 9 or 10 in the evening around here...honestly). Be praying that we have the stamina to stay focused on our classes these last few weeks. http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/blogging_101.php http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/blogging_101.php Fri, 07 Nov 2008 21:41:47 -0700 The Secret, concerning his internal struggle with sin, and finally dove deeper into Milton's "Paradise Lost." During the breaks we would run back out into the snow to sled, snowboard, and throw barrages of snow balls at each other. While we had "study time" after lunch most of us took part in an epic snow ball fight, guys vs. girls (we don't need to talk about which side actually won, however). Following the battle some of us ventured out into the mountains to hike, on and off the trails, while the snow continued to dance around the tree branches. The sight was absolutely breath-taking. The snow died down, but we have our fingers crossed for an encore. Besides that, most of us who were sick are starting to feel better. As the work load is starting to pick back up, we at Snow Wolf Lodge are preparing to finish strong as this semester comes to a close.]]> http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/first_day_of_snow.php http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/first_day_of_snow.php Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:25:27 -0700 I can hardly believe we only have one more month remaining of Summit Semester! I can remember way back when we still had eighty-four days to go! And now I don't even want to think about the short number of days we have left here. I never thought that I would feel so at home with twenty-seven strangers in the woods. My initial hesitation to come here because I was afraid I would regret it has been entirely obliterated. This has been one of the most rewarding and memorable semesters I have had so far. After getting to know and love every person here, I am realizing just how difficult it will be to leave them and the community we have created here. I will miss the continual happy and joyful aura that is so difficult to find out in "the real world." The people here have been continually teaching me, through their own actions and attitudes, the importance of accepting people for who they are and truly loving them. If we all did that simple thing, we could change the world so much! Speaking of the real world, class is a constant reminder of what we will, yet again, be faced with when we go back home to school and work. The only difference, for me anyways, is that now I feel like I know so much less than I did before! It seems ironic that the more you learn, you realize how little you actually know. Dr. Bauman has a sneaky way of exposing your ignorance when you didn't even realize it was there in the first place! However frustrating this can be at times, it is imperative to realize that there is never an end to learning. On a lighter note, the art class we had tonight was nothing short of entertaining. We each had to find a partner and perform a skit on a pre-written, very ambiguous script that allowed for endless interpretations and ideas. My partner, Jeff, and I decided to do a skit involving a dentist, a kitchen knife, and ketchup...just one among others involving fighting knights, fifteen-year-olds on a date with their parents, grouchy old ladies, a betrothed young couple, and of course, banana cream pies to the face! I wish it was possible to describe exactly what it is like here, but judging from the paragraph above, imagination is necessary. I wish everyone could go through an experience like this, but hopefully we can each give the people around us a taste of it when we get back home. http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/banana_cream_pie.php http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/11/banana_cream_pie.php Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:01:28 -0700 Romeo and Juliet and preparing for the next thing. At the same time we're apparently supposed to figure out exactly how unserious "human affairs" are. With only a month left to soak it all in, life goes on here in the mountains of Southwest Colorado.]]> http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/10/to_justify_the_ways_of_milton.php http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/10/to_justify_the_ways_of_milton.php Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:06:35 -0700 As the warm summer air turns to a crisp fall breeze, one thing and one thing alone has stayed at the forefront of our thoughts and conversations here at Summit Semester. No, I'm not talking about the Psychedelic Platypi's hope for a forthcoming victory in the community volleyball tournament (though I do believe this is a significant event), or even the Lurching Mochilla's intimidating uni-brows. Instead, I speak of the third annual Farvest Hall celebration. This celebration is often considered to be the ultimate pinnacle of our time here at Semester. Okay, it may not be the pinnacle, because the people and classes are par to none, but this festivity greatly contributes to our experience here and has helped re-enforce our value of fun in the community. We began our chilly Saturday morning with a bonfire to commence the activities. All of us enthusiastically enjoyed pumpkin carving, frozen T-shirt unthawing, ping pong, and rifling competitions that extended into the early afternoon. The outside temperature seemed to rise with the intensifying competition. Pride and egos were put on the line and eventually our own dignity was thrown out the back door. Even the staff was seen throwing frozen shirts from the top of the main porch in a vivacious attempt to become the champions. The anticipation for the main evening event heightened as each minute passed. Finally, after a month and a half of torturous waiting, our Farvest Hall expectations were appeased. We were now able to show off to all the fruits of our labor from the past month or minute to all - our costumes. Imagine in your minds eye a spectrum of colorful characters dancing, prancing, and sliding around the classroom area. Mind you, the tables from class were set up around the perimeter of the room to not be in the way of the merriment, and were covered in quaint fall decorations and delectable finger-foods. Many lively individuals filled the room; burnt out light bulbs, 'home schoolers', Romeo and 'his' Juliet, Pippi Longstocking, a set of twins, a table, a giant 'cry baby', a joker, a modern-day Statue of Liberty, an elaborate duct tape couple, some various figures from the good 'ole disco days of the 70's, as well as others. The creativity was practically endless. After countless photographs by our very own paparazzi, we were ready to begin our evening that was to be brim full of cakewalks, games, competition results and prizes. Yes, prizes. In true Summit fashion the cakewalk turned into an intense contest to land on the lucky number 27 which somehow eventually evolved into a dance-off. We jumped and jived, twisted and turned, swished and swayed, and even broke down into some urban hip-hop to claim a tasty reward...chocolate cake. And boy was it worth it. The dancing continued throughout the night, and I do believe it has begun a trend that may last the duration of our time here. Students shared their knowledge of the waltz, tango, foxtrot, folk dancing, square and swing dancing with each other. Long at last, the prizes for the daytime activities were distributed. Apparently, some students had decided to take full advantage of Dr. Bauman's absence this week and carve a pumpkin in his honor commemorating what he was like while he was "unsaved." This included actual working tear ducts, a vomit trajectory, and glass of 'beer.' Highly enlightening. Another pumpkin portrayed a story often told by our very own Jon Jon Wesolowski about a 50-point, fire-breathing deer, complete with fire-blowing effects. The next pumpkin was of Mike the monster from the animated children's movie, "Monsters, Inc." Mike was one-eyed, painted green, and had true to life lanky, paper-mâché appendages. Other pumpkins depicted an asthmatic, a kitchen lady, and a...a...a... an unrecognizable object in a leotard. Overall, Mike the monster's group valiantly took the award for best in show followed by the fire breathing deer. All in all, the evening was unforgettable and a great kickoff for the fall season. I doubt we will forget the fun and fellowship we had at Farvest Hall. For the icing on the cake, Dr. Bauman has returned to us this week to continue our studies and we look forward to the next event; the completion of our volleyball tournament in the not-so-distant future. http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/10/colorful_characters_and_cakewa.php http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/10/colorful_characters_and_cakewa.php Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:58:09 -0700 This week, Dr. Williams, from Toccoa Falls Georgia, came to teach us about Philology (the love or study of language). Throughout this week Dr. Williams has shown us the importance of literature and the role it plays in our society. He taught that all we know about God from the first chapters of Genesis is that "He makes worlds with words, and that we are in His image." From there, he then believes it is in accordance with the Bible that we should ourselves teach the same thing through literature. Although Dr. Williams has been here less than a week, he's jumped right into our lives and has had personal conversations with just about everyone here. The morning he arrived I walked into the dining room to already find him speaking Elvish (the language spoken mostly in J.R.R. Tolkien's middle earth), and joking around with students he had known for only five or so minutes! He came to teach classes, but his teaching goes beyond the classroom to places like the dining room, the game room, and around the fire place when we just hang out. It's been good having him here and we're going to miss him and his Elvish utterances. Two days ago was the first day of the first annual Summit volleyball tournament! Eight captains drafted teams and divided themselves into two divisions. Each team plays the other teams in their division twice, and then the people with the best record will play in the Summit Semester championship game. Everyone is beginning to get into the competition and some interesting uniforms have been worn in the name of team pride. Just yesterday my team played a team of four dressed in old dresses and audacious hats. Sometimes I forgot I was playing college students and thought a crew of old ladies had taken the court. This made our loss all the more humbling. By the philosophy of Sir Phillip Sydney, we've learned best by being delighted. This week has been both educational and entertaining. With less than six weeks to go until this semester's end, everyone is realizing there isn't much time left. Though there is so much to do and so many events to yet occur, we are now focusing on pacing ourselves and learning the best way to spend what time we have. We are trying to become, as the apostle Peter once commanded, "wise as serpents, but harmless as doves."]]> http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/10/elvish_utterances.php http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/10/elvish_utterances.php Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:45:58 -0700 The first of these, our hearts, is the one I think I have neglected the most in my life previous to Summit Semester. This was made especially evident to me last night in small groups. The girls split up into two groups, and both groups began the first half by discussing an article entitled, "Becoming a Safe Person, Can People Come to You with Their Problems?" It made for an excellent leadway for the second half when both of the groups came together and one of the girls shared about some "baggage" she has in her life. Suddenly we all realized that we were not alone in much of the shame and struggles we have all suppressed by hiding behind a "false self." We saw the compassion, acceptance, and love given to her as she put herself into possibly one of the most vulnerable situations of her life. This caused a beautifully chaotic domino effect. After she finished girls broke up into little groups all across the room and poured out some of their deepest, most shameful secrets. I myself let pour, through a river of tears, secrets that I have never even hinted about to the best of my friends in the most "safe" of situations. Here, at Summit, these were met with nothing but understanding, assurance of God's redemptive power, and His unfailing, infinite love for every single child of His, regardless. This sort of cleaning of our hearts can only be followed by praises of joy for the incredible God we serve. This is exactly what happened Friday night when a group of worship leaders from Grace Church came out and led a worship service for us which consisted of singing, Scripture reading, communion and time for individual and small group prayer. During this time, it would have been impossible for a believing soul in the room to not be pouring out love to his Creator. I heard many remarks later from individuals that they have never felt the presence of God as they felt it that night. I myself realized the power of prayer to create an indescribable and never before experienced intimacy with God. The action of our minds has been no exception to the growth and learning that has been happening here. Though Dr. Bauman is on vacation, we are still being challenged to think critically though every area of life for our Lord. Dr. Williams is here in Dr. Bauman's place for the week. Today he spoke about the importance of poetry and how it ought to be taught to give the most impact for young poets. He also spoke about Deconstructionism and why this view can not hold ground in any kind of logical debate because of its self-refutation. Last, but most definitely not least, we are striving to love God with our strength. We are definitely being challenged to at least glorify God thought sportsmanship and team playing. Today we began our first volleyball tournament. All who wanted to participate signed up and we were split into eight teams of four. This has allowed for relationships to build and grow because we pull together as a team through games and practices where we may not have had situations or circumstances to as easily get to know people otherwise. We were asked in family meeting a few weeks back to evaluate what we expected to get out of Summit Semester compared to what was happening in reality. At that point I realized two things. First of all I realized just how high my expectations really were. I realized what it would actually take for a program and a group of people to meet some of my ridiculously high anticipations. Then, almost dumbfounded, I realized, in reality, that I had no idea what I was getting myself into in coming to Summit. I could never have imagined God blessing me with situations like these and I am sure that once its over six short weeks from now I will never again be part of such a great community. ]]> http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/10/no_commandment_left_behind.php http://www.summit.org/blogs/institutes/semester/2008/10/no_commandment_left_behind.php Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:13:36 -0700