Art Show and Poetry Reading

Tonight, my Writing Fiction and Poetry students and Prof. Thomas's Illustration for Publication students had an art show and poetry reading at an area coffeeshop. We had a good crowd (~30 or so). I was very impressed with the work the students have done. I forgot to take my camera, so I'll try to get back over to the coffeeshop to take some pictures of the work and get them posted here.

Thanks, Dr. Colling

One of the strange things and yet great pleasures about coming back to work at my alma mater has been getting to work with some of the folks I had as professors. After getting past the awkwardness of figuring out how to address them, my appreciation for them and their dedication to their work and to Olivet has grown.

Last week, we had the annual salute to retiring faculty and staff members reception. I had the chance to shake hands and speak briefly with one of my favorite professors from my time at Olivet. As part of meeting my general education requirements, I had to take 8 hours of science courses. For one of my courses, I signed up for a course called Science, Technology, and the Environment. Dr. Colling was the lead teacher for this team-taught course that covered science issues for non-science majors. I have always been interested in science and briefly flirted with the idea of trying to get a teaching endorsement in science. Anyway, during this course Dr. Colling led us through several issues of the day - genetics, environmentalism, and others - and helped me to reaffirm my beliefs that science and faith (my dad was a physics and math major) are not contrary and Christians need not fear the findings of science.

Thanks, Dr. Colling. I hope to see you on the golf course soon. The weather of summer should arrive this weekend.

Out for a Morning Run

Saturday morning, the Office of Health Services sponsored a 5K run on campus as the culminating event of a 3 month long wellness campaign. Over 200 students, faculty, and staff showed up to run at 8:30. 5 faculty members from our department took on the challenge and completed the race.

Running has always been a bit of a mystery to me. It's what you did to get to a drop shot or a cross-court backhand. It's what you did after a made basket or to fill a lane on the fast break. My previous experience with distance running consisted of just going as hard as you can for as long as you can usually in the pursuit of a ball.

In my first race since 6th grade track, I managed to finish the race and beat the time I'd set as a goal. Seeing as I need to find a way to continue to be active and athletic outlets seem to be more limited as I get older or maybe it's my unwillingness to accept that I'm not in condition to do the things I used to do, I think I may stick with this running thing for awhile. I'm eyeing a 10K on June 6 in South Bend, IN (my hometown). It finishes at the 50 yard line of Notre Dame Stadium, so I guess if I'm going to run 6.2 miles, I may as well get to finish in the Stadium.

As a side note, my daughters Audra and Emilia were at the finish line to greet me. Apparently, Audra was cheering, "Go Daddy Go! Go Daddy Go!" for the 30 or so runners who finished before I did, but she ran out of "Go Daddy Gos" by the time I finished. I guess I'm glad I didn't finish in the 170s. While cheering for her dad lost her interest, the Toby the Tiger, Olivet's mascot, had her full attention. They exchanged multiple high-fives and hugs. Emilia participated with several of her friends in an ROTC sponsored kids' run. She's still wearing her medal this afternoon. After her run, she whispered to me, "Dad, I beat two of those army guys who were running with me." I didn't have the heart to tell her that they were running behind to pick up any kids who fell off the pace.

Hopefully, the Sunburst 10K in June has army men to pick me up if I become too much of a straggler.

Zukas

I've had a unique experience this year working with one of our senior English majors as she has been writing a novel as part of her departmental honors project. I've been very impressed with her work and how much her writing seems to be growing through the process of completing this project. We've been meeting on Fridays to discuss her work. She's spending this weekend putting the finishing touches on her story of a large family, the Zuckers, and their adventure in opening a family business selling Zuka shells on Zebedee Island. I'm excited to see how her novel concludes and the struggles of Isabelle and George and Lillian and the other characters she's created work out.

Always Impressed

I decided to tag along with the men's tennis team last night when they headed up north to work out in preparation for their spring season. I got a chance to talk with Mark, one of the players. Mark's a junior engineering major and a resident assistant in one of the dorms.

During the trip to the racquet club and on the way back to campus, we had a chance to chat about any number of topics - class work, life on campus, future plans, the upcoming season. I am always impressed with the ability of many of our students to articulate visions of their future that are not all about them.

While I don't have the opportunity to meet with many upperclassmen because the vast majority of the students in the classes I teach are freshmen and sophomores, it is exciting to see and hear how God's plans for their lives are being worked out. That's not to say that freshmen and sophomores aren't interesting or that God is only at work in the lives of students who are nearing graduation, but juniors and seniors are more aware of their dwindling days before graduation.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Communion

Our family just finished our Christmas tour. We spent the weekend before Christmas with my family in South Bend, IN, returned home for Christmas, and then left the 26th for Heather's family in Abilene, KS.

Anyway, on Sunday the 28th, we attended church with Heather's parents, her three brothers and their families. In all, there were 18 of us. The 2 youngest spent the service in the nursery, but the other 6 spent the service sharing markers and making all sorts of creations. The service concluded with communion at the front of the church. Heather's dad worked it with the usher to ensure that our three rows could take communion together.

As we were kneeling at the altar and the elements were brought to us, I glanced over at Emilia, my 6 year old daughter, who was kneeling next to her cousin Katherine. They brought the bread first. At this particular church, they had bread cubes instead of the hard, white, rectangular, fingernail-sized crackers we use at our church. Emilia reached in the basket with both hands and pulled out multiple bread cubes. I watched curiously to see what would happen with the juice. She decided on one cup.

She might have just been a little hungry, but I'd like to think that perhaps she is just reminding me to desire more of Christ in my life.