Well, it has been quite the busy summer. As you may know, I have been working over the summer with my school, providing IT support. I will be working into the fall with them as well. Anyways, summer has been filled with stuff, and lots of things have changed. Maybe the biggest changes are with Alyse.
Alyse, my girlfriend, has been attending Pratt Institute (an exclusive art school in Brooklyn) this last semester. She also stayed at Pratt over the summer, working with the America Reads/Counts program and taking some classes. However, fed up with her living conditions and the exorbitant cost of attendance, she started looking at other schools in the city. The school she had her eye on, the School of Visual Arts (SVA), had four spots open for the fall and hundreds of applicants. Alyse applied and got in (amazingly), placing her at a school that is less than a fifteen minute walk from my apartment. However, it seemed things were not destined to end well. SVA has housing space for only a third of its students, and all the residences were full by the time Alyse was accepted. She started looking for apartments, eventually widening her search to New Jersey, but to no real avail. The good opportunities kept falling through.
One day, fed up with the whole situation, she decided to ask my Asst. Director of Residence Life (Jacinda) if there was any way she could get housing at King's. Surprisingly, Jacinda said that was a real possibility. After a few weeks of deliberation and working out the details, King's is putting Alyse up in one of their apartments with three senior girls. The apartment is one of the best in the building, Alyse's total cost for school is about half of what she would've paid at Pratt, and I am a sparse two and a half minutes away from her building. God is working in some really cool ways!
Alyse and I have learned a lot about each other this summer, and we have spent a lot of time together. I have seen her every day this summer (Wow! I didn't realize it was every day), as she usually comes over to my apartment to eat, avoiding her mouse- and cockroach-infested kitchen. We have been attending church together at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, and we've managed to take some time to get away, once to the Elizabethtown (NJ) IKEA, once to Pittsburgh to see my family at Uncle Dave and Aunt Karen's house, and one weekend to wander around the city with Linda Wilde.
That was actually this last weekend - we saw a lot, but there is still much more to see. I have some pictures on Picasa online of the weekend, so feel free to take a look. We spent most of our time in the Financial District, but we also took Linda to the Brooklyn Tab and St. John's cathedral. The cathedral was amazing - it includes the longest open length of any cathedral worldwide (601 ft), and it even included a special message with my name on it (link coming).
As to what has been happening with me: I started meeting with our Dean of Students, Eric Bennett, a few weeks ago. If I have ever met a man who is right with God, it is Eric - he respects students, yet speaks with authority; he's willing to listen to what you hear from God, and he is so in tune with God that he doesn't hesitate to do everything in his power to help you; he is humble, strong, and yet human, as he freely admits his struggles. I respect him immensely. Anyways, God has been using Eric to prod me in completely new directions, putting me in positions where my strength is insufficient, where I need to depend on God completely or fall flat on my face. This is exciting and scary at the same time. I will be sure to keep you updated as the year progresses.
One of the other things I will be doing this year is House leadership - you may be familiar with the House system at King's, where every student is assigned a certain House (like a fraternal organization) that provides inter-student fellowship and support. There are four male houses (Lewis, Reagan, Churchill, and Bonhoeffer) and five female houses (Thatcher, Barton, [Susan B] Anthony, [Queen] Elizabeth [I], and [Sojourner] Truth), with 20 - 50 members. They are pitted against each other throughout the year in various intellectual, artistic, and physical competitions. Each house has a President, Chamberlain (an R.A. of sorts), Helmsman (to help freshmen students integrate into the school and House), and a Scholar (charged with the intellectual development of the House). I am the House of C.S. Lewis' Chamberlain, so it will be interesting to see how that works out. Additionally, one of my roommates is the Lewis Helmsman and another is Churchill's Scholar.
This year will be challenging in entirely welcome ways. My relationship with Alyse will be challenging as we will both be too busy to spend much time together alone (if that makes sense), and much of our relationship before was exactly that. Time together alone. My schoolwork will be challenging - three philosophic classes will make sure of that. My leadership role will be challenging - learning how to combine justice (from my R.A. role) and love (from my new calling). My relationship with God will be be challenging as I strive to give myself up every day so He becomes blatantly evident in my life. My friendships will be challenging as I feel called to be much more "social" than I was last year - for what good is love if it is not shared? My future will be challenging - if only because I don't know what will happen. I do know that it is good hands, however. I pray that God will continue to be my strength and direction, and hope that you will pray similarly for me.
I am looking forward to coming home in five short days - but I still need to pack some stuff up. I will be leaving with all my stuff packed, ready to move into my new room the day after I get back from Iowa. It will be a fun time all around. Alyse and I are traveling Tuesday morning, and we are both looking forward to seeing our families and eating food in generous portions.
God bless you for taking the time to read this rather long post ... your thoughts and prayers are always appreciated.
Showing posts with label Lewis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lewis. Show all posts
31 July 2008
18 September 2007
After a Long Period of Absence,
there is nothing better than trying to remember what has happened. Let's see.
Friday -- Lewis retreat @ Dr. Jackson's house. That was quite the event. I was attempting to turn in my politics paper, and helping others with formatting their papers, when I realized that I had missed my train. Fortunately, another group of guys was going up later, so I rode up with them. We ended up having a spirited discussion (I don't recall the topic, probably the validity of the War in Iraq), and then gathering around a fire for s'mores and more conversation. The O'Dhouls (non-alcoholic beer) and cigars were passed around - I abstained on both counts. Eventually, a group was dispatched for a secret mission in the dead of night -- a mission that ended an abject failure. Unfortunately, I am forbidden to disclose further information.
Saturday -- went hiking with Dr. J and his son, Zach. The hills were much bigger than anything I've seen in Iowa ... ate lunch near a placid lake. The park we hiked in was five minutes away from the train station, but it took three trips to fit all of us in Dr. J's car. Eventually, we ended up missing our train by minutes, and waiting an hour and a half for the next one. Finally, we got back to NYC, where homework awaited us.
Sunday -- MSNY again. Campus ministry hosted a lunch after church -- I wasn't going to pass on free pizza. At 5, I attended a lasagna party in Herald Towers -- it was good to have homemade food again.
Monday - Friday-- School as normal. Breadbreakers on Tuesday. Interviewed for and received a TA position with the adjunct New Testament prof ... had to create a powerpoint for him. First Macro quiz on Wednesday, first Western Civ literature quiz (over Gilgamesh) on Thursday. Visited the NYPL for a College Writing I assignment. Meeting of the houses of Thatcher and Lewis on Friday, to discuss our city involvement project -- working with Student Venture, a Campus Crusade organization targeted at highschools. Walked around, trying to meet kids. Met none.
Saturday/Sunday -- worked on a presentation for Macro, a test for NT, a paper for English. Went to MSNY again. Had another campus-ministry-sponsored lunch. Began to discuss the nature of time -- i.e., does choose to limit himself within time, or is he outside of time? Also -- is time created by God, or by men to measure creation? That was a great time-waster.
Monday -- school again. Presented for Macro. That was passable. Worked on my paper, studied for NT test. Had a Lewis meeting to plan our drama for the fall retreat.
Tuesday -- today. NT test was a killer. I'll be very happy with a 'B.' A low B, mind you. Worked on my paper some more. Ended up 45 minutes late for my Breadbreakers meeting.
Friday -- Lewis retreat @ Dr. Jackson's house. That was quite the event. I was attempting to turn in my politics paper, and helping others with formatting their papers, when I realized that I had missed my train. Fortunately, another group of guys was going up later, so I rode up with them. We ended up having a spirited discussion (I don't recall the topic, probably the validity of the War in Iraq), and then gathering around a fire for s'mores and more conversation. The O'Dhouls (non-alcoholic beer) and cigars were passed around - I abstained on both counts. Eventually, a group was dispatched for a secret mission in the dead of night -- a mission that ended an abject failure. Unfortunately, I am forbidden to disclose further information.
Saturday -- went hiking with Dr. J and his son, Zach. The hills were much bigger than anything I've seen in Iowa ... ate lunch near a placid lake. The park we hiked in was five minutes away from the train station, but it took three trips to fit all of us in Dr. J's car. Eventually, we ended up missing our train by minutes, and waiting an hour and a half for the next one. Finally, we got back to NYC, where homework awaited us.
Sunday -- MSNY again. Campus ministry hosted a lunch after church -- I wasn't going to pass on free pizza. At 5, I attended a lasagna party in Herald Towers -- it was good to have homemade food again.
Monday - Friday-- School as normal. Breadbreakers on Tuesday. Interviewed for and received a TA position with the adjunct New Testament prof ... had to create a powerpoint for him. First Macro quiz on Wednesday, first Western Civ literature quiz (over Gilgamesh) on Thursday. Visited the NYPL for a College Writing I assignment. Meeting of the houses of Thatcher and Lewis on Friday, to discuss our city involvement project -- working with Student Venture, a Campus Crusade organization targeted at highschools. Walked around, trying to meet kids. Met none.
Saturday/Sunday -- worked on a presentation for Macro, a test for NT, a paper for English. Went to MSNY again. Had another campus-ministry-sponsored lunch. Began to discuss the nature of time -- i.e., does choose to limit himself within time, or is he outside of time? Also -- is time created by God, or by men to measure creation? That was a great time-waster.
Monday -- school again. Presented for Macro. That was passable. Worked on my paper, studied for NT test. Had a Lewis meeting to plan our drama for the fall retreat.
Tuesday -- today. NT test was a killer. I'll be very happy with a 'B.' A low B, mind you. Worked on my paper some more. Ended up 45 minutes late for my Breadbreakers meeting.
04 September 2007
A busy week
and no time to write. I can barely remember a week ago. Went to Costco on Friday with Matthias, Kelly, and my roommates ... had some suitcase problems on the way back. Matthias's "Juggernaut" had some problems with melting wheels -- it contained nearly 60 lbs of foodstuffs.
Saturday -- went to IKEA in Jersey during the day ... bought two barstools with backs -- I don't know what they are called. Apparently IKEA pays NJ Transit Authority for buses on the half hour to IKEA every Saturday - there were so many people there, I can see how they make a profit. We had lunch at the buffet there, and I got some really good Swedish meatballs. Yummy. On the way to the apartments, I carried a 35 lbs bookshelf on my back -- I had to watch Matt's feet in front of me so I didn't run into anyone. That evening, we went to a party in 4B6 -- Joanna Wagner invited us and some others over for burgers and fries. It was a delightful meal with about 10 people there, and then I went over to a wedding celebration reception. Two King's students got married over the summer, so this was the official celebration. They were in the middle of starting swing dancing - I didn't get involved, to my great regret. I did play HORSE with pool though. And lost.
Sunday -- went to church at MSNY again. New location was about a 30 min walk through Times Square and up Broadway, service was good. Josh, one of the youth directors, invited Matt and I to play Halo sometime. Actually, the six of us got separated quite a bit on the way. Went out for pizza afterwards as a group. In the evening, had our "hazing" for Lewis. Involved going into a restaurant, helping people in a store, convincing people to say the name C.S. Lewis without mentioning his works, singing "Sound of Music" on the stairway of Columbia Universities' Library, carrying Kyle up the hill at Riverside Park. Zachary washed our feet back at his apartment. It was a great experience.
Monday - Labor Day, slept in late. That was nice. There was also a picnic on Roosevelt Island, played some soccer, some football, watched some ultimate frisbee. Ate four burgers and a hot dog. Paid $5. Well worth it. Worked on homework, I think?
Tuesday - Thursday -- School. Had a Lewis meeting Wednesday afternoon, English paper due same day, nothing else. Boring. Big Politics paper due tomorrow, Lewis retreat to Dr. Jackson's starts at 3:30 PM. Should work on that tonight, probably.
Saturday -- went to IKEA in Jersey during the day ... bought two barstools with backs -- I don't know what they are called. Apparently IKEA pays NJ Transit Authority for buses on the half hour to IKEA every Saturday - there were so many people there, I can see how they make a profit. We had lunch at the buffet there, and I got some really good Swedish meatballs. Yummy. On the way to the apartments, I carried a 35 lbs bookshelf on my back -- I had to watch Matt's feet in front of me so I didn't run into anyone. That evening, we went to a party in 4B6 -- Joanna Wagner invited us and some others over for burgers and fries. It was a delightful meal with about 10 people there, and then I went over to a wedding celebration reception. Two King's students got married over the summer, so this was the official celebration. They were in the middle of starting swing dancing - I didn't get involved, to my great regret. I did play HORSE with pool though. And lost.
Sunday -- went to church at MSNY again. New location was about a 30 min walk through Times Square and up Broadway, service was good. Josh, one of the youth directors, invited Matt and I to play Halo sometime. Actually, the six of us got separated quite a bit on the way. Went out for pizza afterwards as a group. In the evening, had our "hazing" for Lewis. Involved going into a restaurant, helping people in a store, convincing people to say the name C.S. Lewis without mentioning his works, singing "Sound of Music" on the stairway of Columbia Universities' Library, carrying Kyle up the hill at Riverside Park. Zachary washed our feet back at his apartment. It was a great experience.
Monday - Labor Day, slept in late. That was nice. There was also a picnic on Roosevelt Island, played some soccer, some football, watched some ultimate frisbee. Ate four burgers and a hot dog. Paid $5. Well worth it. Worked on homework, I think?
Tuesday - Thursday -- School. Had a Lewis meeting Wednesday afternoon, English paper due same day, nothing else. Boring. Big Politics paper due tomorrow, Lewis retreat to Dr. Jackson's starts at 3:30 PM. Should work on that tonight, probably.
27 August 2007
NSO - "North," said Oscar
Actually, NSO is New Student Orientation, and we were quite involved in it yesterday. The attire of the day was business professional, and it was pleasantly warm in the City today. However, pleasant quickly became "suffocating." We were fortunately in the CUNY Graduate Center, a conveniently placed building around the corner from ESB, that included an auditorium. New students, parents, faculty, and student leaders were in attendance.
The morning lecture was 9 to 11, then we had a little discussion about the house system, and I ate lunch with Dad, Matt & family, and some of the Lewis leadership. It was good to hear their vision for the house this year.
At 2 PM, there was an information fair in the Lower Lobby of ESB - the only productive thing I did was get my network access and email configured. Then I hung out for an hour, met another admission guy, and headed back to the room.
Met back with the Lewis guys at the Lounge for House pictures and a night out on the town - went to Lombardi's just north of Little Italy for some brick-oven-baked pizza - excellent! Our president, Dustin Pope, gave us a little pep talk, and then I talked to David Lapp, our scholar, on the way back. It was fun.
Later in the evening, some girls from SBA (Susan B Anthony) came by to invite us to a rooftop worship event on the roof at 10 PM - went up, Matthias Clock played the guitar (excellent!) and we sang for about 45 minutes. Then more people came up and the group decayed. Ended up going to bed around 12:30 again. Big day, and bed was delightful. Tomorrow will be even better.
The morning lecture was 9 to 11, then we had a little discussion about the house system, and I ate lunch with Dad, Matt & family, and some of the Lewis leadership. It was good to hear their vision for the house this year.
At 2 PM, there was an information fair in the Lower Lobby of ESB - the only productive thing I did was get my network access and email configured. Then I hung out for an hour, met another admission guy, and headed back to the room.
Met back with the Lewis guys at the Lounge for House pictures and a night out on the town - went to Lombardi's just north of Little Italy for some brick-oven-baked pizza - excellent! Our president, Dustin Pope, gave us a little pep talk, and then I talked to David Lapp, our scholar, on the way back. It was fun.
Later in the evening, some girls from SBA (Susan B Anthony) came by to invite us to a rooftop worship event on the roof at 10 PM - went up, Matthias Clock played the guitar (excellent!) and we sang for about 45 minutes. Then more people came up and the group decayed. Ended up going to bed around 12:30 again. Big day, and bed was delightful. Tomorrow will be even better.
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