January 20, 2005
And Life Continues…
Nearing the end of week two, this semester feels manageable. Let’s re-cap those classes.
Bible is going well, and I’m enjoying the Foster book we’re reading. There is an essay due on part one at the end of next week, so I’d better get started on that this weekend. Unfortunately, our professor’s daughter was in a car wreck and is now in the hospital with a broken leg. Thankfully, she is in stable condition and seems to be recovering, albeit slowly. Dr. Childers should return next week. In the meantime, other faculty are taking his classes.
Missionary Biographies continues to be inspiring. I think such a class should be a requirement for every professing Christian in college. In less than two weeks it has so increased my appreciation for the sacrifice and dedication of many in our Christian heritage that it brings into perspective the meager efforts we call “following Christ” today. It is a stinging indictment.
English is going slowly, but I am enjoying the readings assigned. We read two essays for tomorrow’s class, one by Langston Hughes and one by Annie Dillard. Both speak of their personal experiences with religion. The former relates how Mr. Hughes “got saved” at a revival meeting in the south because of peer pressure but never felt the internal “change” he expected, resulting in the author’s permanent rejection of Christianity as a farce. The latter explores the youthful cynicism of the author in her observations of those she knows so well at church, those parishioners who are there only to make business contacts and “be seen,” but results in a change in perspective when the author beholds the genuine, prayerful, and God-focused attitudes during communion of these people she thought she had pegged.
Astronomy is becoming more interesting as we move from what I view as foundationless speculation about the origin of the universe into factual observations about constellations, the seasons, eclipses, and other such interesting topics.
Philosophy class isn’t as mind-boggling as it was in week one. Today we discussed realism and antirealism with regards to science and theology. I didn’t know scientific antirealists existed. Of course, that’s partly because I didn’t know what “scientific antirealists” were! Basically, they believe that unobservable entities that scientific theories refer to (like subatomic particles and black holes) don’t exist.
Exercise Science is going slowly, but well. Today we ran a mile and a half to see how fast we could do it in. My time was 13:54, a time I am determined to improve within the next few weeks through becoming more physically active. I printed off a nine-week plan for working up to doing three miles.
Written at 10:22 pm
||
Filed under: General
3 Comments
January 21st, 2005 at 6:04 pm
(I love astronomy)
January 24th, 2005 at 6:14 am
It’s fascinating, isn’t it?
January 26th, 2005 at 11:06 am
Yes, it is. It’s one of the two sciences that I actually really really like. :) It’s amazing. I have my constellation chart sticky-tacked to my wall above my desk.