Reflecting on Mumford and Sons

Mumford and Sons. So if you didn't know already, they are some pretty cool cats. Not only is their music rockin' in my opinion, but their lyrics actually have some depth - unlike many popular musical talents these days (but that's a whole other discussion).

 

Anyways, the most recent display of brilliance: their new album - namely the song Below My Feet. Why you might ask? Well, let's just say they've caught on to our amazing S-LC jargon and mentioned service AND learning in a song. They are just that cool. No, but really. I recommend that if you haven't already, you should cue up itunes, pandora, or whatever musical download site is hip nowadays and have yourself a little listen.

 

Below you will find a selection of the lyrics as well as some killer reflections (none of which I take credit for since I take them from a discussion I had with some S-LC co-habitants).

peace, love, and pandora,

Emily

Below My Feet lyricsYou were cold as the blood through your bones
And the light which led us from our chosen homes
Oh, I was lost.
So now I sleep
Sleep the hours that I don't weep
And all I knew was steeped in blackened holes
Oh, I was lost

Keep the earth below my feet
For all my sweat, my blood runs weak
Let me learn from where I have been
Keep my eyes to serve
My hands to learn

Well I was still
But I was under your spell
But I was told by Jesus
All was well
So all must be well
Just give me time
You know your desires and mine
So wrap my flesh in ivy and in twine
For I must be well



Some Thoughts:

- the musical tone in this song is natural and mellow (versus electronic) as well as light and upbeat (not dark, but rather optimistic)

 

- verse 1 talks about moving out of darkness and stepping into the light and how having been in a black hole, stuck inside a house made the author feel lost. What does this represent for the value of getting off the couch and into the community?

 

- the chorus talks of reassurance - 'i was told by Jesus all was well' - and how it therefore, 'must be well'. Is there a connection between this phrasing and the song 'it is well with my soul'? How do we cling to this promise of reassurance even when we don't feel well?

 

- 'keep the earth below my feet' - is this talking about how we stay grounded in Christ? Does it relate to the kingdom-building work we are called to do as co-workers with God and agents of renewal in a fallen world?

 

- 'let me learn from where i've been' - LEARN! from my past? from the school I go to? from the countries I've visited? from the community I live in?

 

- what could the switch from the typically 'hands to serve and eyes to learn' to the unexpected 'eyes to serve and lands to learn' be challenging us to do?

 

- how DO we use our 'eyes to serve' and 'hands to learn'?

 

- Calvin's motto seems embedded in here with the idea of offering not only hands, but also hearts/thoughts/willingness to learn

Giving Blood and Giving Up

If I am given responsibility for a project, it becomes mine.  I have a definite idea of how I want things to go.  There is a picture in my mind of how everything will play out, and when someone tries to erase parts of that picture and scribble in their own drawings, I get mad.  This is not a piece of my personality I am proud of.  I turn into an uptight, controlling, snappy monster whose motto is, “Do it my way or I will use very sharp words to stab at your soft, fleshy underbelly of a limbic system.” 

When it comes to working in a professional environment, this is not an acceptable way to operate.  But it’s hard not to.  The temptation to latch on to the hot fire of anger and go for a thrillingly out-of-control ride is almost too much to keep me rational.  Oddly enough, people do not respond positively to this kind of fiery aggression.  Where I want things to run smoothly, they become rough and jagged.  Other people get angry, and I just feel like a terrible creature, born from hate and darkness.  Lose-lose. 

And so, I have had to learn to let go.  The embarrassingly simple revelation came to me as I lay flat on my back, blood draining from my body: it’s not about me and what I want.  The thing that is actually important is the success of the Blood Drive for which I have taken responsibility.  It is not mine.  I am only the facilitator, and I must give of myself instead of clutching what I want to my chest.  The work I do is about something larger and far more important than my personal satisfaction.  If I can remember that, some good just might be done in spite of me.

Julia Hawkins

I Think I'm a Human Doing

I was challenged recently to be a human being. A rather strange challenge, since by all outward appearances, I am just that. (Little did they know.... just kidding. This isn't the place for zombie novels). However, if someone were to observe my life, they might give me the more apt designation of "human doing." I am a typical "good student." I don't say that to be arrogant but to point out that for all my work that others might label good and accomplished, a good and loving Creator might say I've missed the point.

Recently, I've had much more time on my hands than I have had for the past 6 semesters. I purposefully took a lighter class load so that I would have time to apply to graduate school. However, I find my self spending time, not applying for graduate school or studying for the Biology GRE, but sitting around, reading a book, watching a TV show, or going to bed at 10 p.m. And, you know what? I feel amazing. But I also feel the creeping shadow of guilt in the back of my mind. I'm flying in the face of my Asian-mother-instilled work ethic. I'm turning a cold shoulder to the Protestant pillar of good-hard work that I've become all too familiar with. What am I to make of all this?

This creeping feeling of guilt is where the challenge lies. I'm bad at the "being" part of human being. I impose an artificial structure on my time so that no second is left empty. Don't get me wrong, I've been known to procrastinate and sneak in a TV show here or there when I should be finishing my chemistry homework, yet when I find myself with extra time, I feel uncomfortable, as though something active and productive should be filling the void of that empty space. Here I am presented with another challenge, my activity is often propelled by my passion for learning or by a desire to take advantage of every amazing opportunity. Inherently, these motivations are not bad, but this is, again, the challenge of balance.

College is a strange place for people like me because we tend to do well by the school's standards. I have a feeling though, that if I were being graded on my success in fully living into my humanity, I would have less than an A+. Perhaps I and those like me should be reorienting our mark of success, making the goal "live well" rather than "do well."

Now, friends, to preserve our humanity, I think we should all go enjoy a mug of [favorite warm beverage] and curl up with a good novel. :)

Peace,
Anna

StreetFest is for Scientists Too

The beginning of the academic year means that, once again, the Service-Learning Center of Calvin College has pulled of another great StreetFest. Over 1000 first-year students ventured into the city of Grand Rapids to service-learn with their peers. I, Anna Casto, was audacious enough to take on the task of coordinating StreetFest 2012. Many great StreetFest Coordinators have gone before me, and I'm sure they too gave up  amazing opportunities to be a part of the particularly amazing opportunity of being StreetFest Coordinator.

I'm a biology and biochemistry major pursing graduate studies in agronomy, so one would expect that I spend my summers in one of Calvin College's many student research positions. I would expect that too. After spending one summer doing research (and loving it), the next summer seemed planned out in advance. Alas, God has an interesting sense of humor. I had my qualms about spending a summer planning a student life event that seemed to have no direct application to my post-graduation goals. In the end, I learned a great deal and I gained many skills that I believe will serve me well in graduate school and beyond.

This post isn't about my feelings about StreetFest, though they are many. The reality of being a StreetFest Coordinator is that the experience teaches a person less about how to do a job and more about how to approach problems, speak with civility, and trust people.

What I learned:

1. Problem solving - StreetFest comes with a whole package of problems and puzzles. Coordinating over 1000 first-year students, over 100 student leaders, and 70 non-profit organizations is a giant puzzle, and naturally, it takes some time and persistence to fit all the pieces together. Science is the same way. There is a large cloud of information, but to solve a problem, you have to pick the right pieces of knowledge and keep trying.
2. Professionalism - People aren't always nice or easy to work with. Sometimes people misunderstand you or don't realize how much your job entails. (My favorite conversations this summer often began like this: "Wow, I just realized how many pieces you had to fit together to pull this off!"Those moments of enlightenment were golden.) I learned a great deal about civility this summer because people weren't always happy with our work or the way we were doing it. Misunderstandings happen often when there are so many people to communicate with. Still, we carry on and hopefully forgive each other for our short comings.
3. Public speaking - Let's just say I never expected to speak to over 1200 people at once. It's thrilling.
4. Delegate - You would think that having an entire summer to work on StreetFest would mean that one StreetFest Coordinator can accomplish every task by herself. Somehow, though, come the last few weeks of August, I was so happy to see my 11 co-workers and pile the task lists on them. My biggest challenge to overcome was letting go of those tasks and trusting my friends to do them well. (They did.)

How does this all apply to my future? Well, even scientists work in groups, so civility and professionalism is as important in a lab as in the Service-Learning Center. Almost all of science requires critically thinking about a problem. Presenting research is one of the primary ways scientists share their discoveries. The list goes on. Practical skills were a great gain, but I also found some surprising internal gains from coordinating StreetFest. I gained a feeling of confidence in my ability take on something new and different. I also found that no matter what I'm working on, I have a passion for what my fellow Calvin people would call a vocation. We are agents in the work of shalom, and the work we do, whether that be coordinating StreetFest or studying agronomy or teaching or painting, is called to the higher purpose of kingdom building.

So whatever you might be doing, may you see great things. May you ask illuminating questions. May you discover something new. May you be open to new possibilities. And most of all, may you catch a glimpse of the kingdom in the weed-pulling, face-painting, house-building work you do today and every day. 

From Urban Experience to Rural Experience

As I blogged the other week, I had a plethora of different emotions as I went into leading Urban Experience.  In coming out of it, I have a totally different set of emotions.

First, I want to thank everyone who was praying for us that week and those that took time out of their week to help make the trip what it was.  In my mind, it was a great success.  I couldn’t have asked for a better group of incoming freshmen; I am so proud of the work they did with the attitudes they had.  And it was a challenging and tiring week for us.  7-9 women (with the occasional male) ended up moving 105 cubic feet of trash out of 3 houses in 12 hours spread out over 2 different days.  Despite the heat, smells, and awkward objects to get rid of, the girls kept plugging along with smiles and encouragement to each other.  Again, I’m super proud of all of them (and I hope that we can post some of their reflections in a blog post soon).

Soon after Urban Experience ended though, I was on a plane headed for a ‘rural experience.’   My mom was raised by her grandparents in a rural part of Kansas (we’re talking 10 in her graduating class). This past spring, my mom turned 50, my grandma turned 70 and my great-grandma (who raised her) turned 90.  Since it’s been a few years since we’ve been able to visit, and everyone’s had a significant birthday, my mom really wanted to visit her home and my brother and I decided to ‘tag along.’ 

Going into this long weekend, I knew that we’d be facing some interesting, somewhat difficult issues, but it still shocked me how “same, same but different” Urban Experience and ‘Rural Experience’ were.  As we cleaned out houses during Urban, we wondered how in the world people could live with so much junk and trash piled around their house, then during Rural Experience I saw how my grandma lives like that and I still wonder how someone could live like that.  But it’s so much more personal now.  And it’s so much harder.  As a result, I’ve been reflecting on the concept that “it’s easier to serve abroad then at home,” or in my case, “it’s easier to serve in Grand Rapids than at grandma’s.”  I believe that this is due to the fact that I have a more personal connection to my grandma than I do to the person in Grand Rapids whose house I cleaned out. 

At Calvin and in the Service-Learning Center, we also talk a lot about ‘seeking shalom.’  As I found this weekend during rural experience, this can also be harder closer to home than in the broader picture of a city or society.  It’s heart-wrenching to see the brokenness and stark absence of the hints of shalom in one’s own family, but it was a good reminder for me.  Brokenness and the absence of shalom happen at a very personal level that I feel is sometimes overlooked when we look at city or neighborhood issues.  We see the brokenness and what agencies are doing to try to alleviate that pain, but we don’t always realize, see, or think about how the vast absence of shalom effects people’s lives and those they come in contact with.

Now that I’m back in Grand Rapids, with no idea when I’ll be back in Kansas, I wonder:  where are there obvious absences of shalom in the city, in my neighborhood, and in the lives of those I interact with?  And I am praying for peace and shalom not only for my family, but also for the places that I don’t see shalom, where shalom is desperately needed.

Hannah Bechtold

The Irresistible Revolution

I've heard Shane Claiborne speak twice, the book was on my shelf for more than a year, I've even had dinner with him! I thought that I'd heard what he had to say and that I didn't need to read the book, until a conversation with one of my students who'd read Irresistible Revolution in High School. After reading the book, he and a few friends decided to honor the lunch ladies at their school with a special dinner, served by tuxedoed high schoolers. So I picked it up and read it over the past month on airplanes and buses. Sure, I'd heard several of the anecdotes from the book in his presentations, but there is so much more. Claiborne refers repeatedly to source material that inspired his own theological reflections on the relationships between Christians and poverty: Martin Luther King Jr, Dorothy Day, Charles Marsh, and others. He wrestles articulately with a lot of the things I've wrestled with in the years since I began college: how should Christians respond to sweatshops, violence, war, the church? His response to these questions is in many ways more radical than mine have been, but they have both encouraged me to persevere in ways that I've invested my life more deeply and challenged me in ways that I've made selfish choices. He reads the Bible as if Jesus really meant what he said, and challenges the reader to do likewise. I'm considering this as a text for a group of students I work with who will recruit volunteers from their residence halls to serve in various capacities, mostly within under-resourced communities. My hesitation comes with the sometimes political slant taken in the book, that may serve to alienate several of the students I work with. However, as I've now finished the book, I'm more convinced that his message and Biblical interpretation are right on. I'm recommending this book broadly, if you are a Christian who is serious about your faith, or someone whose not been convinced that the Christianity we see in America today is for you. I'm also wondering which other writer/speakers I've short changed by assuming that I know all they have to say after hearing them speak for forty minutes.

Urban Experience

Yesterday (Thursday, July 19), 231 incoming freshmen, along with their families, arrived on Calvin’s Campus to partake in Calvin’s orientation program, PASSPORT.  I think I may be feeling some of the same things as these freshmen and their families not because I’m going to college for the first time, or because my kid is going to college for the first time (though that is a really scary thought), but because I will be leading 6 of those 231 students on a special orientation trip today through July 26.

This new orientation trip is loosely modeled after the wilderness orientation trips, but will take place in Grand Rapids’ Creston Neighborhood and has the mission to “introduce new Calvin students to the ongoing efforts of partner organizations in the Grand Rapids area to do God’s work in the word and in Grand Rapids.”  This program has been one of the main projects I have been working on at the Service-Learning Center this summer.  But I’m not the only one to work on this project.  Thankfully, other students and staff have been working on the project proposal and setting up some of the basics for the week.  I only had to pick up where they left off and carry this project through completion.

Only. It’s been a lot more work than I thought it would be.  There are so many little details and logistical points to think through.  This is the first time our office has ever done an extended orientation program and I’ve struggled with trying to remember what it’s like to be an incoming student; to not know anyone at Calvin and to be experiencing Calvin orientation.  I know the Service-Learning Center and reflection materials like the back of my hand, but orienting new students to what college life is like?  Giving them the tools they’ll need to be successful at Calvin?  I can only hope and pray that I can fulfill this part of the trip.

In the S-LC we talk a lot about experiential learning.  I even spent last semester in Thailand as part of an experiential learning study abroad.  I love it.  And I love what this experience has already taught me.  Sure the week hasn’t started, but I have spent the past 46 days meeting with agency partners, Calvin faculty and staff, brainstorming ideas for T-shirts and ordering them, going on walking tours of the neighborhood and creating a reflection/reading.  I can’t wait to see what this week has in store.

Hannah Bechtold
Urban Experience Coordinator