Dear Family and Friends,
This past week started off a little more difficult than normal. Monday was Summit’s annual holiday: “Farvest Hall” celebrating harvest and Halloween. There was a whole day of fun group activities planned. But besides for the pain I’d been experiencing with my wrist, I woke up Monday morning with a horrible headache and stomach ache. I could hardly walk because my head hurt so badly. I went out to try to watch the games in the morning, but could hardly function. After only a few minutes outside, I came back inside and went back to bed. The previous night I had decided to see the local chiropractor, and thankfully he had an available appointment early Monday afternoon. After my appointment, I felt relieved, but decided to go back to sleep for the rest of the afternoon so that I’d hopefully be able to participate in the evening festivities. My roommate, Hope, woke me up 2o minutes before the party was supposed to start and asked if I was going to put my costume on. At that point, I felt even worse than I had earlier that morning. I was miserable and couldn’t get out of bed. The party started in the girl’s dorm (right outside my room) and it was so loud that I couldn’t go back to sleep. Thankfully the Advil that I had taken after waking up finally kicked in, so I was able to sit on the sofa and watch the party for the next few hours. It was fun, despite not being able to participate. Tuesday was the same: I felt horrible and slept most of the day. Then, Wednesday morning, I woke up and felt so much better! As soon as I walked into breakfast, everyone was telling me, “Mae, you look so much better!” I was definitely feeling better! I took it easy the rest of the day, just to make sure. But ever since then, I’ve felt almost completely normal! My wrist is still swollen, however, and is painful when I use it too much, but that’s bearable.
On Thursday morning, Doctor Bauman returned to teach for the rest of the week. In politics class we discussed the Swiss army and analyzed their military procedures. In English class, we talked about William Wordsworth and his poetry. And in Church history, we examined the protestant reformation. Those lectures have been my favorite this week! We’ve talked a lot about Martin Luther and his beliefs and his reasons for breaking away from the Catholic Church. It was especially interesting to talk about, since we attended a Catholic mass in Santa Fe just a few weeks ago.
For our art class, we are preparing a “night of worship” as a group final. We were divided into four groups to prepare different aspects of the worship service. I’m in the “visual arts” group and our job is to prepare the visual atmosphere of the service. It has been interesting to work with so many people on this project, because there are so many ideas of what should be done and how. Hopefully it’ll go smoothly on Monday night, and truly be a God-glorifying experience.
Saturday morning we had a special lecture on worship; in preparation for this art project. It was probably one of my favorite individual lectures, and as a result of the questions brought up, I spent my entire study time yesterday afternoon studying the topic of ‘worship’ and how it’s used and taught in the scriptures. It was definitely a fruitful time for me, but will also require further study!
I can’t believe that I only have one more full week of school! And in just a few weeks, I’ll be home. I really will miss the atmosphere, classes, and all the great friends I’ve made here, but I hope that the friendships that have begun will continue in the years to come.
Thank you for your prayers for my health – pray that I continue to remain healthy for the rest of my time here at Summit!
Hope you’re doing well!
Love, Mae
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Update 11-08-09
Dear Family and Friends,
There is only less than 3 weeks left of Summit Semester! How time flies! Last weekend, we enjoyed a relaxing weekend in Santa Fe, New Mexico for our class/art trip! My art analysis group did a great job on Saturday identifying different styles of art. We had a lot of fun doing it too! J This past week, we were back to our normal Tuesday-Saturday schedule with Dr. Bauman. It was so good to have him back! I don’t think I’d ever get tired of having him as my professor. We had art class Tuesday morning, Bible class Wednesday morning, and then Dr. Bauman arrived Wednesday night in time for class.
The lecture that night was one of my favorites – it was on thinking and learning. He told a story to illustrate the point that the search for truth [usually] doesn’t bring answers overnight. The subjects that we’re being challenged with here at Summit Semester, are things that we need to spend time pondering and wrestling with. I know sometimes I want all the answers as soon as possible. But this lecture helped me see that on the search for truth, I need to be willing to “dissect” an issue until I know each side and perspective. Dr. Bauman told us to, “Look at it again and again until you really do see the truth.” This means reading books on the subject, asking questions, and discussing ideas with other people. It was such a great reminder for me, as I begin to prepare to return home in a few weeks.
This week in Christianity and politics class we discussed the U.S. Constitution. In English literature we thoroughly examined John Milton’s Paradise Lost. In our Church history class, we learned about the lives and ideas of 3 important theologians who lived between the 14th and 16th centuries: Francesco Petrarch, Thomas More, and Erasmus. I always enjoy the great discussions we have in that class. So fun and informative!
Although I had another great week of school, an extra little trial came up during our Santa Fe trip. Last Saturday night, my right wrist became swollen. I didn’t think much of it, so I put ice on it and let it be. The next morning it looked a little better, so I thought I was fine. The next night, it became swollen again, so I decided to see a doctor in Pagosa Springs the next day. (Last Monday) The doctor immediately told me that he thought I had carpal tunnel. He gave me a wrist brace to wear for the rest of the week, told me to take ibuprofen and let it rest. Throughout the week however, it became increasingly swollen and more painful. I went again to the doctor on Friday and I had two doctors examine it. They ruled out a few things because of my description of the pain I had been experiencing. They were puzzled that even after a week it was still bothering me and was still swollen. They decided to take my blood and were going to test it for 4 specific things. (None of which I can remember.) The doctor will call me on Monday with the results and that will determine whether or not I will need treatment here in Colorado, or if I can wait until I return home in a few weeks.
I’ve been taking a lot of ibuprofen to control the pain, and it has been helping most of the time. Please pray that the doctors would have wisdom in deciphering what is wrong, and that in the meantime, I would have peace just letting my right hand rest without over using it.
I miss you all and will look forward to seeing you in just a few weeks!
With Love, Mae
There is only less than 3 weeks left of Summit Semester! How time flies! Last weekend, we enjoyed a relaxing weekend in Santa Fe, New Mexico for our class/art trip! My art analysis group did a great job on Saturday identifying different styles of art. We had a lot of fun doing it too! J This past week, we were back to our normal Tuesday-Saturday schedule with Dr. Bauman. It was so good to have him back! I don’t think I’d ever get tired of having him as my professor. We had art class Tuesday morning, Bible class Wednesday morning, and then Dr. Bauman arrived Wednesday night in time for class.
The lecture that night was one of my favorites – it was on thinking and learning. He told a story to illustrate the point that the search for truth [usually] doesn’t bring answers overnight. The subjects that we’re being challenged with here at Summit Semester, are things that we need to spend time pondering and wrestling with. I know sometimes I want all the answers as soon as possible. But this lecture helped me see that on the search for truth, I need to be willing to “dissect” an issue until I know each side and perspective. Dr. Bauman told us to, “Look at it again and again until you really do see the truth.” This means reading books on the subject, asking questions, and discussing ideas with other people. It was such a great reminder for me, as I begin to prepare to return home in a few weeks.
This week in Christianity and politics class we discussed the U.S. Constitution. In English literature we thoroughly examined John Milton’s Paradise Lost. In our Church history class, we learned about the lives and ideas of 3 important theologians who lived between the 14th and 16th centuries: Francesco Petrarch, Thomas More, and Erasmus. I always enjoy the great discussions we have in that class. So fun and informative!
Although I had another great week of school, an extra little trial came up during our Santa Fe trip. Last Saturday night, my right wrist became swollen. I didn’t think much of it, so I put ice on it and let it be. The next morning it looked a little better, so I thought I was fine. The next night, it became swollen again, so I decided to see a doctor in Pagosa Springs the next day. (Last Monday) The doctor immediately told me that he thought I had carpal tunnel. He gave me a wrist brace to wear for the rest of the week, told me to take ibuprofen and let it rest. Throughout the week however, it became increasingly swollen and more painful. I went again to the doctor on Friday and I had two doctors examine it. They ruled out a few things because of my description of the pain I had been experiencing. They were puzzled that even after a week it was still bothering me and was still swollen. They decided to take my blood and were going to test it for 4 specific things. (None of which I can remember.) The doctor will call me on Monday with the results and that will determine whether or not I will need treatment here in Colorado, or if I can wait until I return home in a few weeks.
I’ve been taking a lot of ibuprofen to control the pain, and it has been helping most of the time. Please pray that the doctors would have wisdom in deciphering what is wrong, and that in the meantime, I would have peace just letting my right hand rest without over using it.
I miss you all and will look forward to seeing you in just a few weeks!
With Love, Mae
Saturday, October 31, 2009
10-31-09
Dear Family & Friends,
This past week I wrote the blog for the Summit website. Here is what was posted:
On the morning of October 28th, the Summit Semester students woke up to an exciting surprise: snow! It had been predicted in the weather forecast, but it was confirmed shortly after each one woke up and looked out their windows. For probably the first time this entire semester, students were eager to get out of bed— in order to be the first to go sledding or have a snowball fight before breakfast. It continued to snow the rest of the day and most of it remained until this morning. At breakfast we were also informed (to the excitement of many and disappointment of some) that the Snow Wolf Lodge area has been moved to the “storm warning” forecast level. Since I am from California, living in the snow and experiencing this type of weather is new…but exciting at the same time. Yesterday, for exercise time, I went on a walk with friends while some other brave souls played snow volleyball or engaged in other snow activities. (That just goes to show how much we love volleyball here at Summit Semester!) Not only did snow arrive Wednesday morning, but so did Dr. J.P. Moreland, our teacher for the rest of the week. Somehow, on Wednesday morning his clock was not correct, so he was late to class by about fifteen minutes. That didn’t bother any of the students, however, because it allowed more time to continue the vicious snowball fights that began shortly after breakfast.
Dr. Moreland is currently a philosophy professor at Biola University in California, and has written a book on philosophy that we read before he arrived as well as many other books. Right at the beginning of his first lecture, Dr. Moreland told us he has two goals for us this week, that our faith in and relationship with Jesus Christ would grow, and that we would become more intelligent in engaging the culture for Christ. His lectures are based on philosophy, and the last two days of classes have mainly focused on epistemology. Epistemology is defined as a branch of philosophy that studies knowledge and justified belief. We spent a lot of time discussing the three types of knowledge, which I found extremely interesting. A question Dr. Moreland asked us at the beginning was, “Is there knowledge of God?” Beginning to understand the answer first requires an understanding of the different types of knowledge. The first way to have knowledge of God is through “knowledge by acquaintance,” simply that you know something by personally experiencing it or by being directly aware of it. The second area, “propositional knowledge,” is based more on the facts of an issue and is defined as a justified true belief. If you believe something, you’re between 51-100% sure it’s true. This aspect is essential for overall knowledge because truth without evidence is unjustified belief. The last area of knowledge is “know-how,” which is simply defined as the ability to do something well. The main point under this, which really stuck out to me, was that the Bible’s wisdom can be put to an objective test to see whether it’s true. I came to understand that by examining the question presented through each individual category of knowledge, it was easier to see that we really can have knowledge of God.
Thursday morning, we examined the statement: “There can be knowledge that God is real, and that Jesus is the Son of God.” Unfortunately most of our culture has the “emotional pragmatic relativist” view of religion and believes
that religion is based on feelings and is extremely subjective. Dr. Moreland walked us through five consecutive illustrations on how to demonstrate to people that there is objective truth and they should search for it. He expounds upon these illustrations in his book, The God Question, which I will look forward to reading when I return home (and also highly recommend that you read too!). After laying out the foundational reasons why we can know truth, Dr. Moreland began to explain the evidence showing that God really does exist. I must say that the last two lectures of the morning were so full of information; it will take a little while to process! Many scientific examples were laid before us as we examined the origin of the universe as well as the scientifically proven, precise details of the universe. We concluded that there is one personal God, who has intelligence and power, and who created and designed the universe. After analyzing so many scientific discoveries that explicitly point to a creator, it once again reinforced the idea in my mind that we can emphatically answer yes to the question, “Is there knowledge of God?”
As I sit here and watch the snow fall outside my window, I am reminded of all God’s blessings in my life, especially the ability to be here at Summit Semester, learning and being challenged in so many ways. I am thankful, and I encourage you to reflect upon, and thank the Lord for the blessings in your own life as well.
It was such a wonderful week, and as I write this, I'm actually in Santa Fe, New Mexico! We spent all day examining art and having fun together. Tomorrow, we'll be heading back to Pagosa Springs, and will begin another week of school.
Hope you're doing well!
Love,
Mae
This past week I wrote the blog for the Summit website. Here is what was posted:
On the morning of October 28th, the Summit Semester students woke up to an exciting surprise: snow! It had been predicted in the weather forecast, but it was confirmed shortly after each one woke up and looked out their windows. For probably the first time this entire semester, students were eager to get out of bed— in order to be the first to go sledding or have a snowball fight before breakfast. It continued to snow the rest of the day and most of it remained until this morning. At breakfast we were also informed (to the excitement of many and disappointment of some) that the Snow Wolf Lodge area has been moved to the “storm warning” forecast level. Since I am from California, living in the snow and experiencing this type of weather is new…but exciting at the same time. Yesterday, for exercise time, I went on a walk with friends while some other brave souls played snow volleyball or engaged in other snow activities. (That just goes to show how much we love volleyball here at Summit Semester!) Not only did snow arrive Wednesday morning, but so did Dr. J.P. Moreland, our teacher for the rest of the week. Somehow, on Wednesday morning his clock was not correct, so he was late to class by about fifteen minutes. That didn’t bother any of the students, however, because it allowed more time to continue the vicious snowball fights that began shortly after breakfast.
Dr. Moreland is currently a philosophy professor at Biola University in California, and has written a book on philosophy that we read before he arrived as well as many other books. Right at the beginning of his first lecture, Dr. Moreland told us he has two goals for us this week, that our faith in and relationship with Jesus Christ would grow, and that we would become more intelligent in engaging the culture for Christ. His lectures are based on philosophy, and the last two days of classes have mainly focused on epistemology. Epistemology is defined as a branch of philosophy that studies knowledge and justified belief. We spent a lot of time discussing the three types of knowledge, which I found extremely interesting. A question Dr. Moreland asked us at the beginning was, “Is there knowledge of God?” Beginning to understand the answer first requires an understanding of the different types of knowledge. The first way to have knowledge of God is through “knowledge by acquaintance,” simply that you know something by personally experiencing it or by being directly aware of it. The second area, “propositional knowledge,” is based more on the facts of an issue and is defined as a justified true belief. If you believe something, you’re between 51-100% sure it’s true. This aspect is essential for overall knowledge because truth without evidence is unjustified belief. The last area of knowledge is “know-how,” which is simply defined as the ability to do something well. The main point under this, which really stuck out to me, was that the Bible’s wisdom can be put to an objective test to see whether it’s true. I came to understand that by examining the question presented through each individual category of knowledge, it was easier to see that we really can have knowledge of God.
Thursday morning, we examined the statement: “There can be knowledge that God is real, and that Jesus is the Son of God.” Unfortunately most of our culture has the “emotional pragmatic relativist” view of religion and believes
that religion is based on feelings and is extremely subjective. Dr. Moreland walked us through five consecutive illustrations on how to demonstrate to people that there is objective truth and they should search for it. He expounds upon these illustrations in his book, The God Question, which I will look forward to reading when I return home (and also highly recommend that you read too!). After laying out the foundational reasons why we can know truth, Dr. Moreland began to explain the evidence showing that God really does exist. I must say that the last two lectures of the morning were so full of information; it will take a little while to process! Many scientific examples were laid before us as we examined the origin of the universe as well as the scientifically proven, precise details of the universe. We concluded that there is one personal God, who has intelligence and power, and who created and designed the universe. After analyzing so many scientific discoveries that explicitly point to a creator, it once again reinforced the idea in my mind that we can emphatically answer yes to the question, “Is there knowledge of God?”
As I sit here and watch the snow fall outside my window, I am reminded of all God’s blessings in my life, especially the ability to be here at Summit Semester, learning and being challenged in so many ways. I am thankful, and I encourage you to reflect upon, and thank the Lord for the blessings in your own life as well.
It was such a wonderful week, and as I write this, I'm actually in Santa Fe, New Mexico! We spent all day examining art and having fun together. Tomorrow, we'll be heading back to Pagosa Springs, and will begin another week of school.
Hope you're doing well!
Love,
Mae
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Sunday - 10.25.09
Dear Family and Friends,
I just can’t believe how quickly the weekends come! This week was our first “normal” week and weekend. We had a Monday-Friday work week and then received yesterday (and today) off. This week we have the same schedule, just with a new teacher who flies in on Tuesday. It was a little difficult to adjust to a much different teaching style this past week, but it was a good break. Doctor Don Williams was our teacher and I really enjoyed and appreciated his willingness to spend time out of class to discuss ideas with us. One night, after dinner, I talked with him while he played pool with another guy, for 45 minutes. I was also lucky to be able to sit with him at many of our meals. He is currently teaching English at Toccoa Falls College, in Georgia. His lectures discussed a wide variety of subjects, but my favorite was on Philology. Philology is defined as, “the love of words.” Most importantly, we are to have a love for the Word. He said, "The mind functions spiritually only when it is saved by God's grace, sanctified by His spirit, informed by His word, submissive to His wisdom and motivated by His love."
In that same lecture, Dr. Williams spent a lot of time pointing out the importance of studying. He said, “No one can be a serious and obedient disciple of Jesus Christ without giving a significant place to study in one's life.” I really realized this past week how being a Christian has influence in every aspect of my life. Having a Biblical worldview requires studying, so that I can know and understand God’s word and the world He’s created for us to live in. The reasons why each follower of Jesus Christ should be a serious student are because, the content of scripture commands it, the nature of scripture necessitates it, and the commission of scripture requires it. (Matthew 22, 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:20)
Doctor Williams and I were able to discuss many topics together, including, spiritual gifts, prayer, the “fear of the Lord,” and many of his books. (just to name a few J) We finished off the week with a time of poetry reading and a Q&A session. It was a great week of learning! Oh, and I finished reading both of his books before the weekend! I highly recommend “Inklings of Reality” & “Mere Humanity.”
Yesterday, we spend the day at Mesa Verde National Park and I really enjoyed visiting again, even though I was there just 2 months ago with my family. This time, I did the tour with 23 of my fellow students and it was fantastic! We had a great tour guide and it was neat to be able to get closer to the actual cliff dwellings, as opposed to just viewing them from the observation deck. Here is a picture of my friend Damiya and I, with the cliff dwellings in the background.
I just can’t believe how quickly the weekends come! This week was our first “normal” week and weekend. We had a Monday-Friday work week and then received yesterday (and today) off. This week we have the same schedule, just with a new teacher who flies in on Tuesday. It was a little difficult to adjust to a much different teaching style this past week, but it was a good break. Doctor Don Williams was our teacher and I really enjoyed and appreciated his willingness to spend time out of class to discuss ideas with us. One night, after dinner, I talked with him while he played pool with another guy, for 45 minutes. I was also lucky to be able to sit with him at many of our meals. He is currently teaching English at Toccoa Falls College, in Georgia. His lectures discussed a wide variety of subjects, but my favorite was on Philology. Philology is defined as, “the love of words.” Most importantly, we are to have a love for the Word. He said, "The mind functions spiritually only when it is saved by God's grace, sanctified by His spirit, informed by His word, submissive to His wisdom and motivated by His love."
In that same lecture, Dr. Williams spent a lot of time pointing out the importance of studying. He said, “No one can be a serious and obedient disciple of Jesus Christ without giving a significant place to study in one's life.” I really realized this past week how being a Christian has influence in every aspect of my life. Having a Biblical worldview requires studying, so that I can know and understand God’s word and the world He’s created for us to live in. The reasons why each follower of Jesus Christ should be a serious student are because, the content of scripture commands it, the nature of scripture necessitates it, and the commission of scripture requires it. (Matthew 22, 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Corinthians 5:20)
Doctor Williams and I were able to discuss many topics together, including, spiritual gifts, prayer, the “fear of the Lord,” and many of his books. (just to name a few J) We finished off the week with a time of poetry reading and a Q&A session. It was a great week of learning! Oh, and I finished reading both of his books before the weekend! I highly recommend “Inklings of Reality” & “Mere Humanity.”
Yesterday, we spend the day at Mesa Verde National Park and I really enjoyed visiting again, even though I was there just 2 months ago with my family. This time, I did the tour with 23 of my fellow students and it was fantastic! We had a great tour guide and it was neat to be able to get closer to the actual cliff dwellings, as opposed to just viewing them from the observation deck. Here is a picture of my friend Damiya and I, with the cliff dwellings in the background.
I have another busy week ahead of me, but I’m very excited to have a new teacher! I will also be writing the Summit blog sometime this week. You can find that at the Summit Semester website: www.summit.org/institutes/semester/blog
Again, thank you for all your prayers! I’m doing great and managing to stay well despite all the sickness that’s currently going around. Continue to pray that I would remain healthy!
With Love & Gratitude, Mae
Sunday, October 18, 2009
10-18-09
Dear Family and Friends,
I think this past week has been one of my favorites here thus far! Doctor Bauman was with us again, and as always, his lectures are challenging, but always enjoyable! The reason why I enjoyed this past week so much, is because I was able to talk with Dr. Bauman between and after classes, I was able to ask him several of my questions. Through his answers and my studies, I've been able to understand specific points or questions a little more. My most pondered questions from this week are: 1. What does it mean to be made in the image of God? and 2. What do I believe about the giving and using of spiritual gifts?
In one of our discussions about spiritual gifts, Dr. Bauman explained to me the difference between certitude and certainty. The former is what you feel to be true, and the latter is what you know to be true. He told me, "Mae, you can't base all your beliefs on certitude. You need to base what you believe on certainty. Know the foundation of what you believe." Besides for my interaction with the faculty, I've also enjoyed many deep and thought provoking conversations with other students. I love meal times, because it provides such a great opportunity to spend time talking about ideas and beliefs. It's neat to be able to think things through verbally with my peers and we seek to know the truth. This upcoming week we have a new teacher, Don Williams. In preparation for his arrival, we were to read 2 books...I'm still working on them! Our schedule is so intense, but it is so beneficial to have it that way. I'm spending lots of time reading and studying - but I also look forward to the breaks we have: work crew and dish crews. In the last two weeks, I've stained a lot of wood and I've also helped dig a trench! The weather here has been lovely, so it has been great to get outside and work doing manual labor! We also had a special treat this week: we got to do some gun shooting! It was quite fun and everyone was amazed when the "California girl" hit the target 3 times in a row! Friday marked the half-way point of this semester and I can't believe that now, it's more than half over. Time is sure flying by!
I hope you're all doing well!
Miss you!
-Mae
I think this past week has been one of my favorites here thus far! Doctor Bauman was with us again, and as always, his lectures are challenging, but always enjoyable! The reason why I enjoyed this past week so much, is because I was able to talk with Dr. Bauman between and after classes, I was able to ask him several of my questions. Through his answers and my studies, I've been able to understand specific points or questions a little more. My most pondered questions from this week are: 1. What does it mean to be made in the image of God? and 2. What do I believe about the giving and using of spiritual gifts?
In one of our discussions about spiritual gifts, Dr. Bauman explained to me the difference between certitude and certainty. The former is what you feel to be true, and the latter is what you know to be true. He told me, "Mae, you can't base all your beliefs on certitude. You need to base what you believe on certainty. Know the foundation of what you believe." Besides for my interaction with the faculty, I've also enjoyed many deep and thought provoking conversations with other students. I love meal times, because it provides such a great opportunity to spend time talking about ideas and beliefs. It's neat to be able to think things through verbally with my peers and we seek to know the truth. This upcoming week we have a new teacher, Don Williams. In preparation for his arrival, we were to read 2 books...I'm still working on them! Our schedule is so intense, but it is so beneficial to have it that way. I'm spending lots of time reading and studying - but I also look forward to the breaks we have: work crew and dish crews. In the last two weeks, I've stained a lot of wood and I've also helped dig a trench! The weather here has been lovely, so it has been great to get outside and work doing manual labor! We also had a special treat this week: we got to do some gun shooting! It was quite fun and everyone was amazed when the "California girl" hit the target 3 times in a row! Friday marked the half-way point of this semester and I can't believe that now, it's more than half over. Time is sure flying by!
I hope you're all doing well!
Miss you!
-Mae
Sunday, October 4, 2009
October 4th!
It has been exactly a month - today, since I arrived here at Summit! What an amazing month it has been.
This past week, we had a guest speaker, John Stonestreet. He was one of my favorite speakers from summer camp, so I was looking forward to having him teach again. He spoke on Christianity and Culture. The time we spent in class was so productive, informative, and challenging. I'm keeping a little notebook that I write all my questions in, so that I have them with me, wherever I go.
Some of the questions I've been pondering this week from culture class are:
-Is faith developed prior to engaging the world, or via engaging the world?
-What does it mean to be a Christian in a culture?
-What ought to be the impact of redemption and reconciliation on human cultures?
-What ideas have become embedded in our culture?
That's just a fraction of them - but it'll give you an idea of what I'm thinking about and studying, particularly this week!
One of my favorite things we studied this week was about the history of the different denominations of the Church. I'd never studied that part of Church history, so it was incredibly interesting! I now realize why we have so many different "types" of churches.
Being able to discuss ideas with our teachers, outside of class, is also such a blessing here at Summit. One night I was up until 11pm talking with John Stonestreet and a few other people about different aspects of our lectures, and being able to ask some of my questions. I am so thankful that when they're here teaching, they make time to talk with us individually. Besides from discussing things with the teachers, I've been able to have so many amazing conversations with other students and staff. Everyday, I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be here.
One of my favorite quotes from John Stonestreet this week was, "Education is an active process, not passive." How true that statement is! Sometimes students (including myself) can get into the mindset that we just need to "get through" school. But how much more effective and productive it can be if we take learning seriously, engage our minds and think critically about ideas. Ideas form culture - and ideas have consequences.
I'm also enjoying our weekly art and Bible survey classes. We're having a "art festival" in class on Tuesday, so I've got to finish my project sometime this afternoon when we get back to Snow Wolf Lodge. In Bible class, we're reading all the way through Deuteronomy right now. How great it is to read the Bible in full context - and understand it as a meta-narrative.
This week Dr. Bauman will be back teaching, and I'm looking forward to discussing spiritual gifts with him...I'll let you know how it goes! :)
Hope you're doing well too.
I'm enjoying hearing from you all, via mail.
Thank you for your prayers. I miss you all!
Love,
Mae
This past week, we had a guest speaker, John Stonestreet. He was one of my favorite speakers from summer camp, so I was looking forward to having him teach again. He spoke on Christianity and Culture. The time we spent in class was so productive, informative, and challenging. I'm keeping a little notebook that I write all my questions in, so that I have them with me, wherever I go.
Some of the questions I've been pondering this week from culture class are:
-Is faith developed prior to engaging the world, or via engaging the world?
-What does it mean to be a Christian in a culture?
-What ought to be the impact of redemption and reconciliation on human cultures?
-What ideas have become embedded in our culture?
That's just a fraction of them - but it'll give you an idea of what I'm thinking about and studying, particularly this week!
One of my favorite things we studied this week was about the history of the different denominations of the Church. I'd never studied that part of Church history, so it was incredibly interesting! I now realize why we have so many different "types" of churches.
Being able to discuss ideas with our teachers, outside of class, is also such a blessing here at Summit. One night I was up until 11pm talking with John Stonestreet and a few other people about different aspects of our lectures, and being able to ask some of my questions. I am so thankful that when they're here teaching, they make time to talk with us individually. Besides from discussing things with the teachers, I've been able to have so many amazing conversations with other students and staff. Everyday, I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be here.
One of my favorite quotes from John Stonestreet this week was, "Education is an active process, not passive." How true that statement is! Sometimes students (including myself) can get into the mindset that we just need to "get through" school. But how much more effective and productive it can be if we take learning seriously, engage our minds and think critically about ideas. Ideas form culture - and ideas have consequences.
I'm also enjoying our weekly art and Bible survey classes. We're having a "art festival" in class on Tuesday, so I've got to finish my project sometime this afternoon when we get back to Snow Wolf Lodge. In Bible class, we're reading all the way through Deuteronomy right now. How great it is to read the Bible in full context - and understand it as a meta-narrative.
This week Dr. Bauman will be back teaching, and I'm looking forward to discussing spiritual gifts with him...I'll let you know how it goes! :)
Hope you're doing well too.
I'm enjoying hearing from you all, via mail.
Thank you for your prayers. I miss you all!
Love,
Mae
Sunday, September 27, 2009
9-27-09
I can't believe that next week, I'll have been here at Summit for a month! Time is going by very quickly...it's almost unbelievable!
This week's classes were amazing. In Christianity and Politics we continued discussing different aspects of abortion, but then on Thursday, we moved on a discussion of the civil rights movement and discrimination. That was very interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I'm also really enjoying history of Christian thought class...we've been discussing spiritual gifts and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Each lecture here is so thought provoking and I come away with so much to ponder! The other night, I brought a question up in class and I wanted Doctor Bauman to give me his answer and he said, "Mae...do you want to be educated or indoctrinated? Do you want to be told what to think, or do you want to learn to think?" I told him that I wanted to be educated - and learn how to think, so he said..."well, study and form an opinion on this matter and we'll discuss it when I come back." I've been studying the spiritual gift of prophecy and am looking forward to discussing it with him when he returns in a week!
Besides for the thoughtful time in class, I've been spending a lot of time on my own reading and working on homework. Right now, we are in the middle of 10 different books! It's crazy and overwhelming at times, but so worth while! In my "free time" I'm enjoying getting to know the people here better and spending time with each of them!
This week we have a guest speaker, so I'm looking forward to this week of classes as well!
Thank you for all the mail that you've sent me - I'm really enjoying hearing from everyone!
I'm thankful for each of you!
Love,
Mae
This week's classes were amazing. In Christianity and Politics we continued discussing different aspects of abortion, but then on Thursday, we moved on a discussion of the civil rights movement and discrimination. That was very interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I'm also really enjoying history of Christian thought class...we've been discussing spiritual gifts and the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Each lecture here is so thought provoking and I come away with so much to ponder! The other night, I brought a question up in class and I wanted Doctor Bauman to give me his answer and he said, "Mae...do you want to be educated or indoctrinated? Do you want to be told what to think, or do you want to learn to think?" I told him that I wanted to be educated - and learn how to think, so he said..."well, study and form an opinion on this matter and we'll discuss it when I come back." I've been studying the spiritual gift of prophecy and am looking forward to discussing it with him when he returns in a week!
Besides for the thoughtful time in class, I've been spending a lot of time on my own reading and working on homework. Right now, we are in the middle of 10 different books! It's crazy and overwhelming at times, but so worth while! In my "free time" I'm enjoying getting to know the people here better and spending time with each of them!
This week we have a guest speaker, so I'm looking forward to this week of classes as well!
Thank you for all the mail that you've sent me - I'm really enjoying hearing from everyone!
I'm thankful for each of you!
Love,
Mae
Monday, September 21, 2009
It's Monday...
I'm posting today (Monday)...because we got to come into town for some internet use on our day off! Yesterday, I enjoyed church in the morning...and then I was able to talk to my family on the internet. It was great to see all of their faces, and hear what each one of them is doing back in Santa Rosa!
Time is starting to fly here at Summit, and I truly am enjoying it just as much as I did when I first arrived. Class time is my favorite, and now I am no longer afraid of Dr. Bauman calling on me in class!
Christianity and politics is still my favorite subject, (even though I love them all...) and this week we discussed terrorism and abortion in detail. What interesting and thoughtful discussions we had in class! It was wonderful!
I am learning so much and enjoying the atmosphere...and I've even come to enjoy NOT having internet during the week! :)
Today, is our day off, so we went on a hike in the National Forest this morning. It was supposed to be a 2 mile round trip hike, but my group got lost and ended up hiking 6 miles total! Needless to say, my legs are very sore right now! It was still fun, and we enjoyed laughing a lot together.
I'm looking forward to another great week of classes and am so thankful that I'm here this semester.
Thank you for your prayers!
Time is starting to fly here at Summit, and I truly am enjoying it just as much as I did when I first arrived. Class time is my favorite, and now I am no longer afraid of Dr. Bauman calling on me in class!
Christianity and politics is still my favorite subject, (even though I love them all...) and this week we discussed terrorism and abortion in detail. What interesting and thoughtful discussions we had in class! It was wonderful!
I am learning so much and enjoying the atmosphere...and I've even come to enjoy NOT having internet during the week! :)
Today, is our day off, so we went on a hike in the National Forest this morning. It was supposed to be a 2 mile round trip hike, but my group got lost and ended up hiking 6 miles total! Needless to say, my legs are very sore right now! It was still fun, and we enjoyed laughing a lot together.
I'm looking forward to another great week of classes and am so thankful that I'm here this semester.
Thank you for your prayers!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Completion of Week #1!
Hi to all!!
Well, I completed my first week of classes and absolutely enjoyed every minute of it!
Even in just in 5 days of classes, I've been presented with so many ideas to ponder.
It has been challenging, but so worth it! Right now, we're reading 7 books - all at the same time! It's a little overwhelming, but the quality of literature is fantastic and well worth the little bit of stress. :)
Right now we have 5 classes. They are: Christianity and Politics, History of Christian Thought, English Literature, Art and Theology, and Old & New Testament Biblical Survey.
I'd have to say that Christianity and Politics is my favorite, as of now!
But each and every class is challenging and thought provoking. I'm really loving it.
One thing I'm pondering today is the question: What is Art? and...what is its purpose?
We are having a "debate" in art class on Tuesday and each of the students has to come up with answers to both of those questions. It'll be interesting to see each persons definition of what art is! I still haven't come up with mine yet...I'll let you know next week what I came up with!
Right now, I'm on "skype" with my family, so it's been fun to see their faces and chat with them a little bit! I do miss them, and everyone from home...but I'm so glad to be here. This is such a great opportunity and I'm thankful for the time I have here!
Tomorrow, we're taking a field trip to the Colorado sand dunes, & to Walmart, so that'll be fun!(We don't have school on Monday's...because we do have school on Saturday's.)
I must say though that it's very freeing not to have internet during the week! It takes away a lot of distractions...and I'm enjoying that aspect of it too!
Well, we're heading back to Snow Wolf Lodge now, so I'll talk to you all next week!
With love,
Mae
Well, I completed my first week of classes and absolutely enjoyed every minute of it!
Even in just in 5 days of classes, I've been presented with so many ideas to ponder.
It has been challenging, but so worth it! Right now, we're reading 7 books - all at the same time! It's a little overwhelming, but the quality of literature is fantastic and well worth the little bit of stress. :)
Right now we have 5 classes. They are: Christianity and Politics, History of Christian Thought, English Literature, Art and Theology, and Old & New Testament Biblical Survey.
I'd have to say that Christianity and Politics is my favorite, as of now!
But each and every class is challenging and thought provoking. I'm really loving it.
One thing I'm pondering today is the question: What is Art? and...what is its purpose?
We are having a "debate" in art class on Tuesday and each of the students has to come up with answers to both of those questions. It'll be interesting to see each persons definition of what art is! I still haven't come up with mine yet...I'll let you know next week what I came up with!
Right now, I'm on "skype" with my family, so it's been fun to see their faces and chat with them a little bit! I do miss them, and everyone from home...but I'm so glad to be here. This is such a great opportunity and I'm thankful for the time I have here!
Tomorrow, we're taking a field trip to the Colorado sand dunes, & to Walmart, so that'll be fun!(We don't have school on Monday's...because we do have school on Saturday's.)
I must say though that it's very freeing not to have internet during the week! It takes away a lot of distractions...and I'm enjoying that aspect of it too!
Well, we're heading back to Snow Wolf Lodge now, so I'll talk to you all next week!
With love,
Mae
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Hello from Pagosa Springs, Colorado!
Dear Precious Family and Friends,
We left home last Sunday, and I checked into Summit on Friday. It was great to have my family with me to help me settle into my new room. The only disadvantage about driving was that I brought SO much stuff! Here is a picture with my roommate, Hope, before I started unpacking...
Here I am...in a Pagosa Springs coffee shop, using the internet! It's quite lovely here...and this coffee shop is now one of my favorites! It looks out to a beautiful river with a scenic backdrop of the Colorado mountains.
First, let me thank you for your prayers this past week as we traveled. We were in the car for roughly 1,800 miles on the way here! Our trip was full of fun and memorable experiences seeing parts of this beautiful country that we'd never seen before. It was definitely something that I'll never forget. Here is a picture of our family at Bryce National Park. (minus Drew...we missed him a lot!)
We left home last Sunday, and I checked into Summit on Friday. It was great to have my family with me to help me settle into my new room. The only disadvantage about driving was that I brought SO much stuff! Here is a picture with my roommate, Hope, before I started unpacking...
Friday was a day of unpacking and meeting the staff and students.
Saturday was more of an orientation day where we were given a tour of the facility, spent time with the students and learned about all that this semester holds for us!
Sunday, (today), we went to the church that we'll be attending all semester. The people were all so friendly, and Summit really does have a reputation in this little town! I'm excited to be apart of the 4th class of Summit Semester. After church, I said goodbye to my family, which was hard...but I know, that this is where God wants me to be this semester. I know I'll be challenged in many areas of my life, and I'm ready to begin classes tomorrow! :)
Just to give you an idea of where I'm living, here are a few pictures of my dorm room!
(my bed... ;)
(my desk...and you can't really see, because it was dark, but I have the most gorgeous view of the mountains out my window! It's the perfect place to study!)
I really do love it here. I love the the students, the staff, the location, the food...just everything!
I hope this gives you a little inside scoop on my life here at Summit. I'll continue to post pictures and updates on Sundays when we get to go to "town!"
Oh...and I do have cell phone service in my room, so please feel free to call and leave messages and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. I'd love to chat with you sometime... :)
Or if you don't want to call - I'd love to receive mail...I check the mail basket multiple times per day...so feel free to send me letters! ;) (you can find my address in the post below)
Please pray that I would continue to get to know my fellow 27 students, and that I would be encouraged as classes start this week! Pray also that my family will have a safe trip home over the next few days.
With Love,
Mae
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Mailing Information!
To My Dear Family & Friends:
This blog will serve to keep you updated and informed on what's happening in my life at Summit while I'm there for the semester. I won't have internet access during the week - but I will be able to check email and messages on Sundays, when we go to "town!" :)
I will have my cell phone with me - but I don't know how reliable the service will be, or how often I'll have time to use it. Since advanced technological forms of communication will be limited for me this semester, I will be taking lots of stationary & stamps with me so I can communicate the "old fashioned way." ;)
My new addresses are:
(For anything via USPS):
Snow Wolf Lodge
Atten: Mae Bartholow
P.O. Box 3787
Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
(Packages shipped UPS or FedEx):
Snow Wolf Lodge
Atten: Mae Bartholow
1099 Blue Creek Road
Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
I'm so thankful that I have the opportunity to participate in such a great program...and look forward to all that God has in store for me this semester! I will be leaving early Sunday morning and will miss my family & friends...but I know that God has clearly opened the doors for me to be in Colorado this fall.
Please pray that my family has a safe trip there and back and a sweet time seeing God's beautiful creation together!
I'm so thankful for your influence in my life and will be praying for you all as well.
With love and gratefulness,
Mae
(By the way...I'll be updating this blog every Sunday!)
This blog will serve to keep you updated and informed on what's happening in my life at Summit while I'm there for the semester. I won't have internet access during the week - but I will be able to check email and messages on Sundays, when we go to "town!" :)
I will have my cell phone with me - but I don't know how reliable the service will be, or how often I'll have time to use it. Since advanced technological forms of communication will be limited for me this semester, I will be taking lots of stationary & stamps with me so I can communicate the "old fashioned way." ;)
My new addresses are:
(For anything via USPS):
Snow Wolf Lodge
Atten: Mae Bartholow
P.O. Box 3787
Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
(Packages shipped UPS or FedEx):
Snow Wolf Lodge
Atten: Mae Bartholow
1099 Blue Creek Road
Pagosa Springs, CO 81147
I'm so thankful that I have the opportunity to participate in such a great program...and look forward to all that God has in store for me this semester! I will be leaving early Sunday morning and will miss my family & friends...but I know that God has clearly opened the doors for me to be in Colorado this fall.
Please pray that my family has a safe trip there and back and a sweet time seeing God's beautiful creation together!
I'm so thankful for your influence in my life and will be praying for you all as well.
With love and gratefulness,
Mae
(By the way...I'll be updating this blog every Sunday!)
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