tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18864550696309397562024-03-21T19:02:57.960-07:00A Soldier in the Service of the Light of the World"What we do in life echoes in eternity"Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-73123792624613918392011-03-24T14:53:00.001-07:002011-03-24T14:55:39.936-07:00I've Moved...<a href="http://blodskald.wordpress.com">Over to Wordpress</a>. Please head on over! See you there!Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-85158281879432665502009-12-03T12:09:00.000-08:002009-12-03T12:16:56.618-08:00I wish I was...Homeward bound...<br /><br />When the weather in VA is like late September, the Californians are complaining about the 40-50 degree "cold" and the 18-mph winds, I miss the 28 degrees and 24-mph winds that weather.com tells me are currently sweeping Plattsmouth. <br /><br />Anyway, my parents are driving up today from our grandparents' in North Carolina, where we had Thanksgiving. They will celebrate my 21st birthday with me, and then head home. Just 25 pages of writing and 4 exams in the next 15 days, and I'll be home. Look forward to being back on the Plains. <br /><br />A new poem posted to the poetry blog, also. <br /><br />Grace and peace,<br />ColinColinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-83570259840506545912009-05-18T20:38:00.000-07:002009-05-18T20:46:52.680-07:00Ho there!It was a breezy evening occupied only with a pipe and a friend's essay. As he neared the end of the essay, and the end of the pipe, the day neared its end as well, the sun keeping just barely above the trees for one last glance at the Nebraska fields before retiring for the night. School was out and life was good....<br /><br /> I am on break and back at home! The semester was full, but fun. Learned a lot, laughed a lot, cried a bit, and grew in the grace of our Lord in all things. Updates coming soon, to at least 3 of my blogs. I'm going to posting some of the semester's work to my Lit Crit and Creative Writing blogs. If anyone is still tuned, remain so!Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-21166248675858545382009-02-24T17:25:00.001-08:002009-02-24T17:49:23.371-08:00Life is good....Got sick Sunday night, had a slight headache and stuffy head Monday morning, and completely crashed Monday afternoon with a fever and headache and all kinds of good stuff...but I got 9 hours of sleep last night and am feeling much better; not 100% yet, but MUCH better. My fellow students are wonderful in their compassion and caring (and my roomie is stupendous, both as a person generally and because he got me a cup full of fruit this morning so I could sleep in but still eat).<br /><br />Professor Donnelly took our 3-person PHC ROTC group down the National Defense University yesterday morning; he was giving a lecture on homeschooling to people (mostly colonel or their equivalents) attending the NDU College of Industry-Education track. After the lecture, which was largely an informative one with demographic and academic statistics, we cadets were introduced, and a Q&A session ensued. We were asked such questions as how we might deal with people more "experienced" in the world than ourselves when we eventually became second lieutenants, and whether we ever wish we could have gone to public school, and whether or not it's hard for us to relate to our peers. Overall, it was a fun experience, and I look forward to doing it next year.<br /><br />Classes are going well; finished my first Physics exam today, on which I scored well, and have been doing well in my other classes, too: have done a recitation and 1/5 Commonplaces for Brit Lit, 3/4 outlines for Lit Crit and am working on my first paper for it, 1/2 Short papers for Shakespeare, and am constantly working on Physics homework. <br /><br />So far I'm most enjoying Literary Theory and Criticism--it has the most difficult reading of all my classes, but is the most provocative of deep thought and theorization on the nature of art, and especially of Christian art. It is interesting to see what both Christians and non-Christians have had to say about it over the millenia--we've gone from Plato to Heidegger over the last month and a half, and each reading opens up a new idea. I'm writing my paper on Nietzsche's argument that Christians cannot be artists and vice versa. I believe it can be answered only with a profoundly Christian and especially theocentric view of art. It will be fun, and I'll post it to the Lit Crit blog when I finish it.<br /><br />Speaking of which, for those interested, I finally posted the last section of the Drama paper to my Lit Crit blog, discussing history as a tragicomedy and how this is biblically, philosophically, and aesthetically satisfying.Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-34247975441493802009-02-14T16:13:00.001-08:002009-02-14T16:14:38.399-08:00A Soldier's Valentine(No, I don't have a valentine. No, I'm not looking for one, either. But I've come a long way in that I'll admit that this bears thinking about... :-))<br /><br />Why do we fight? For glory? For fame? For family? For home? Why do we not throw away our lives in a glorious death in battle against overwhelming odds, indelibly etching our name in the annals of history? Because we fight not for ourselves, but for our home and family and for that person who awaits our return with eager eyes…so let us fight hard and fight well, and if our lives are lost, let them be lost dearly, but let us remember why we fight and wherein lies our glory.<br /><br />"The heroic serves the pastoral." ~Dr. Hake<br /><br />"Pretty Fair Maid In The Garden"<br />From Fiddler's Green<br />(Traditional, Arrangement Tim O'Brien)<br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR5zX4nryBc">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NR5zX4nryBc</a><br /><br />Pretty fair maid was in her garden,<br />When a stranger came a-riding by;<br />He came up to the gate and called her,<br />Said,"Pretty fair maid, would you be my bride?"<br /><br />She said,"I've a true love who's in the army,<br />And he's been gone for seven long years;<br />And if he's gone for seven years longer,<br />I'll still be waiting for him here."<br /><br />"Perhaps he's on some watercourse drowning,<br />Perhaps he's on some battlefield slain,<br />Perhaps he's to a fair girl married,<br />And you may never see him again."<br /><br />"Well if he's drowned, I hope he's happy,<br />Or if he's on some battlefield slain;<br />And if he's to some fair girl married,<br />I'll love the girl that married him."<br /><br />He took his hand out of his pocket,<br />And on his finger he wore a golden ring;<br />And when she saw that band a-shining,<br />A brand new song her heart did sing.<br /><br />And then he threw his arms all around her,<br />Kisses gave her one, two, three--<br />Said,"I'm your true and loving soldier<br />That's come back home to marry thee."<br /><br />Pretty fair maid was in her garden<br />When a stranger came a-riding by;<br />He came up to the gate and called her,<br />Said "Pretty fair maid, would you be my bride?"Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-55453999764018507412009-02-01T17:15:00.000-08:002009-02-01T17:17:01.827-08:002 Timothy 2:11-13It is a true saying, "For if we be dead together with Him; we also shall live together with him. If we suffer, we shall also reign together with Him; if we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we believe not, yet abideth He faithful: He cannot deny Himself."Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-45732447920783116992009-01-31T10:53:00.001-08:002009-01-31T10:57:22.254-08:00Conservatism/Liberalism in kids' moviesAn interesting comparison of <span style="font-style:italic;">The Incredibles<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span> and <span style="font-style:italic;">Spy Kids</span> and their respective portrayals of human nature and human interactions, by an alumna friend of mine. Definitely worth reading.<br /><br /><a href="http://ladyancilla.blogspot.com/2009/01/on-incredible-spy-kids.html?showComment=1233427860000#c3420147969495747554">Read it here</a>.Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-6847093215545248962009-01-13T07:17:00.000-08:002009-01-13T07:29:58.064-08:00Morning Departure thoughtsSee ya later, Nebraska.<br /><br /> I'm off to hit the books again. I'll miss you, the nearest state to home I've had. As much as I used to think it boring, your gently rolling landscape of cornfields, broken up by the occasional farmhouse and its windbreak or the grain silo, is a beautiful and peaceful scene. It speaks of the farmer families who settled you. And winter nights like last night, when a moon just past full gave a sleepy glow to the snowy fields, are nights that stick in one's memory and won't go away, and one doesn't want them to go away.<br /> Call me crazy, but I'll miss your REAL winter weather...it was 15* last night, with windchills at -5. As cold as those silly Southern Californians think Virginia is, it just can't compare. That said, sometimes your blizzards make a love/hate relationship when that means friends and I can't spend time together...but it was enjoyable while it lasted. When I come back it will be summer. But we won't talk about that, and I forgive you. <br /> I'll miss the friends who also call you home. Whether I know them through homeschool band, homeschool group, or church....May the Lord bless and keep them, and I hope to keep in touch while I'm away. <br /> And I'll miss the family that has made you home. When I come back, the kiddos and the pup will be four months older and hopefully four months wiser (the pup needs it). But hopefully, they'll still like to snuggle and wrestle and play football and RISK and Axis and Allies...<br /><br />Well...yeah. Lord willing, I'll see ya later.Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-39456144089968278032009-01-06T20:20:00.001-08:002009-01-06T20:22:04.666-08:00New posts to Poetry and Lit Crit blogsThe poem I wrote for the Creative Writing assignment for English Literature I is on the <a href="http://blodskald.blogspot.com">Fiction/Poetry blog</a>, and the next segment of my drama paper is up on the <a href="http://thepowerofliterature.blogspot.com">Lit Crit blog. </a> <br />Only a week before I'm back at school...Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-77367159041604790152009-01-04T19:50:00.000-08:002009-01-04T19:52:44.285-08:00The Warrior PoetWARNING: This essay occasioned by the question "Why does a military guy like Strunk and White and Turabian?" I am a Literature major, and have this habit of going to town on questions like that. Proceed at your own risk...<br /><br />It is quite obvious to all at school that I am in Army ROTC. Besides the haircut, I wear the fatigue uniform twice a week, march around with my rucksack late at night, badmouth the Navy kids (in good fun) and the Marines among us, and can be seen by the early birds in my Army PT uniform three days a week. Oh, yes, and I pretty nearly always am wearing my combat boots.<br /><br />What is more of a surprise is that I am one of those specimens ever rare at PHC—a young man majoring in Literature. Since the number of Lit majors is pretty small and I'm mostly in Lit classes at this point, I still get the look of surprise and the “Wait...you're LIT?!?!??! I totally thought you were Strategic Intelligence!”--heaven forfend—rather often at this revelation. The SI assumption stems from the fact that both of the other ROTC cadets at PHC are SI, and many of the Marines have been as well.<br /><br />The juxtaposition of the two—Literature and Army ROTC, is perhaps even more striking. Literature majors have this reputation of being nerds and somewhat...soft. A nerd I am, admittedly, but the Army associations and my penchant for wrestling and rucking to ease the stress from my system hopefully avoids the latter charge. And military folks (and especially the infantry, whose ranks I hope to join), have the reputation of being decidedly gung-ho and go-get-'em, with little time for such nonsense as delving into metaphysical and theological abstractions and literary theory. Gung-ho I hope I am, but I don't think that abstractions are nonsense.<br /><br />I have been asked: “Why does a military guy like Strunk and White and Turabian?” Well, first of all, I hate Turabian with a passion. Dr. Smith's <span style="font-style:italic;">Handbook to Research and Writing</span> has been quite sufficient to my needs so far, and I still have not quite forgiven my Research and Writing teacher for making us <span style="font-style:italic;">read</span> Turabian through.<br /><br />But that aside, the question is reversed of its proper order. I consider myself first a philosopher, then a military man. I first of all consider all good writers as philosophers first. All people are philosophers—that is, all people have a way they view the world and their place in it—whether or not they are conscious of it. Good authors are conscious of the world and man's place in it, and write stories reflecting that. They are good writers because their message is true at some level, and they are considered good writers because their message rings true to the innate, though often vague, knowledge that all men have of the world.<br /><br />I strive to find truth and to apply it. My love of literature is accidental to this primary desire—I love reading it insofar as the authors I am reading are also searching for truth, and I love writing it insofar as the writing is a reflection and a record of my own search for truth and, by the grace of God, finding it.<br /><br />My love for Strunk and White's <span style="font-style:italic;">Handbook of Style</span>, specifically, is probably a reflection of my literary theory, which is in turn a result of my philosophy. I am a strong advocate of objective truth and objective standards of beauty and goodness. Even that aside, I am very much a philosophical conservative, giving the benefit of the doubt to those mores that have been passed down to me and being highly reticent to discard tradition merely on my own authority or the authority of what is currently popular. Strunk and White are of the same temperament and lucidly—and wittily—defend such a literary theory to aspiring writers.<br /><br />I am a military man, though, because I am a philosopher, and because my philosophy places upon me a duty to my family and to my country and to my fellow man. Because of my belief in truth and ideals, I have more than a pragmatic reason to serve in the military—I serve as a means of taking part in this republic. I serve as a means to protect the lives of others, as those who have gone before have served to protect the lives of others—including mine. I am merely returning the favor. I serve because it is my duty. As Major Whittlesey said in the movie <span style="font-style:italic;">The Lost Battalion</span>, “Life would be much simpler if we could pick and choose our duties. But we can't. And we shouldn't. That's why I'm here.”<br /><br />I am also serving to fight evil and to prevent, so far as possible, its consequences touching the people of the United States. I am under no illusion about war or about the nature of evil—I am not a blind idealist, thinking that evil can be eradicated, let alone by weaponry. War is an evil, but it is a necessary evil—its tragedy lies precisely in the necessity that good men are subjected to its evils in order to prevent further evil. But it is better that those who are willing to fight it do so than those who are unwilling and not called to do so. It is better that we volunteer to face fear and death every day than that civilians be forced to fear death every day while going about their daily lives.<br /><br />My philosophy will, I hope, in turn make me a better military man. First, my view of the world gives me a fundamental reason to serve, and a reason that rests not in the transient nature of international politics or temporal goods, but in the eternal nature of abstract goods that are worth fighting for whether or not it is possible for my efforts to win their cause. Also, there is a fine line between the pacifist and the cruel, dehumanized soldier who has come to take pleasure in war and has dehumanized his enemy. I hope and pray that a proper understanding of, and a willingness to wrestle with the great dilemmas of war, will, by grace, enable me to walk that fine line and protect me from either extreme.<br /><br />It is because I reject the idea that there is no right or wrong that I can say it is right that I volunteer to defend the defenseless. It is because of my strong sense of authority and philosophical conservatism that I think this should be done, not through individualistic and illegal vigilantism, but through the properly constituted authority of government and its military arm.<br /><br />The fact that I like the military—easy enough, having been raised in a military family—is a bonus. Now, whether or not I would have followed through on the military, or even have had the same philosophy, had I not been born to a military family, would be an interesting field of hypothetical speculation; but I am not given to hypothesizing about counterfactuals. By the grace of God, I am what I am—an admittedly odd paradox—and I would not be otherwise.Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-40779046254265997322009-01-04T11:04:00.001-08:002009-01-04T11:08:16.081-08:00Classic Calvin and Hobbes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wDTfcmJs8tMiWHMB5ifZtdtQI4DbCj5lGA-dqf2k4_umSdSLEyfd8aRDeNJ5uTzLZCin9MoiY6mGdgzIJ8scAmVuexb6xIngO7Hu4H-JhsaDVUGryJvBMp5k0oTe3iw8Jx2HnuWkaJIl/s1600-h/Calvin+and+Hobbes+nightwater.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 103px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wDTfcmJs8tMiWHMB5ifZtdtQI4DbCj5lGA-dqf2k4_umSdSLEyfd8aRDeNJ5uTzLZCin9MoiY6mGdgzIJ8scAmVuexb6xIngO7Hu4H-JhsaDVUGryJvBMp5k0oTe3iw8Jx2HnuWkaJIl/s320/Calvin+and+Hobbes+nightwater.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287517449748365426" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrGLOmu3hnBU8A3WoFtvs_NjHKXlVM2KHbo24E8M4isNrRL7ZDIlleOQGnrIIWPBtnuuuEFG8YdvkklOUtgEJpaK8TbsyuhF644doTazHkYIiz8YrHPJlGRMtVYSbt1hELORGQkU68kr7/s1600-h/Calvin+and+Hobbes+kissing.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 105px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxrGLOmu3hnBU8A3WoFtvs_NjHKXlVM2KHbo24E8M4isNrRL7ZDIlleOQGnrIIWPBtnuuuEFG8YdvkklOUtgEJpaK8TbsyuhF644doTazHkYIiz8YrHPJlGRMtVYSbt1hELORGQkU68kr7/s320/Calvin+and+Hobbes+kissing.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287516983901608866" /></a>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-25096833083094198512009-01-01T15:17:00.001-08:002009-01-01T15:19:09.866-08:00The one thing....I hate about the Army:<br /><br />The paperwork.<br /><br />On that note, it is a new year...may the Lord grant grace and peace as we make this, our next revolution around the sun...<br /><br />"Wait, haven't we been around here before?"Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-30342862141879637962008-12-30T16:23:00.000-08:002008-12-30T16:33:31.344-08:00UpdateChristmas was grand! It is good to be home and see friends and family...and to get some REAL winter weather. But most importantly, let us praise our Lord for His incarnation, purposed in eternity for the salvation of His people! "Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people." ~Hebrews 2:17<br /><br />During the study break during finals, a few of my wingmates and I played "Carol of the Bells" on electric guitars and bass for all of those who came to the dining hall (which was pretty much everybody). It was definitely a rocked-out version, but we added some harmonizations for the two lead guitars; it was fun to put together and play. Unfortunately, we didn't get any videos of playing in the dining hall, but one of our wingmates got a few videos of us practicing. Here is the best one: <object width="576" height="426" ><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/1063608076194" /><embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/1063608076194" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="576" height="426"></embed></object><br />The silences are caused by the zooming in and out of the camera. Sorry 'bout that.<br /><br />Also, a new poem is up on the poetry blog, and part of my Drama paper is up on the Lit Crit blog. It was 14 pages, so I'm going to put it up in sections. I'll be posting the rest of it over the next week, and I'll also put up my creative writing project for English Literature Seminar I sometime this week. If you're interested, check it out, and please let me know what you think. Thanks!<br /><br />Have a happy New Year!<br /><br />ColinColinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-56069544163090006662008-12-18T08:38:00.000-08:002008-12-18T08:43:22.632-08:00Jolly Saint Nick the NicaeanRead both <a href="http://strangeherring.wordpress.com/2008/12/06/yes-virginia-there-was-a-santa-claus-and-he-used-to-slap-the-spit-out-of-filthy-little-heretics-like-you/">this article</a> and the Veith article at WorldMag to which it links.<br /><br />I think I want to be Santa Claus when I grow up. :-)Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-2279535754416480622008-12-14T12:06:00.000-08:002008-12-14T12:08:18.040-08:00God Moves in a Mysterious Way<div class="lyrics"> <p>~William Cowper</p><p><br /></p><p>God moves in a mysterious way<br />His wonders to perform;<br />He plants His footsteps in the sea<br />And rides upon the storm.</p> <p>Deep in unfathomable mines<br />Of never failing skill<br />He treasures up His bright designs<br />And works His sovereign will.</p> <p>Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;<br />The clouds ye so much dread<br />Are big with mercy and shall break<br />In blessings on your head.</p> <p>Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,<br />But trust Him for His grace;<br />Behind a frowning providence<br />He hides a smiling face.</p> <p>His purposes will ripen fast,<br />Unfolding every hour;<br />The bud may have a bitter taste,<br />But sweet will be the flower.</p> <p>Blind unbelief is sure to err<br />And scan His work in vain;<br />God is His own interpreter,<br />And He will make it plain.</p> </div>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-72300241164293741112008-12-13T08:08:00.000-08:002008-12-13T13:53:40.018-08:00<strong style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Six things I value</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal;font-family:arial;" >1- The gracious providence of God and His eternal covenant of grace</span><br /></strong><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:arial;" >2 -</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> God's objective revelation in Scripture</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">3- Fellowship with godly friends and family</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:arial;" >4 - </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Good literature of both the fiction and non-fiction types</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:arial;" >5 - </span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Those who serve to keep us free (like my dad, mom, brother, uncles, grandpas, great uncle, great-great uncle, cousin....)</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:arial;" >6 - Good music<br /><br /></span><strong style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51);font-family:arial;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Six things I don't support</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">1. Philosophical "neutrality"</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">2. Subjective interpretation of Scripture and extrabiblical "revelation."</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">3. Guinea pigs and mistletoe</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">4. Poor literature (including but not limited to most 20th century American Lit, free verse, Chaucer's couplets--which weren't poor, but highly irritating--Margery Kempe, Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, etc.)</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal; color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">5. Flag-burning</span><br /><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">6. Music with vacuous lyrics or oversimplistic musical arrangements</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">If anyone wishes to follow this up, they may. Have a ball. :-)</span><br /></span></strong>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-19890025226681785432008-12-12T11:21:00.001-08:002008-12-12T11:22:45.686-08:00Three finals down, 3 to go. <br /><br />Metaphysics paper up on <a href="http://prorevelationedei.blogspot.com">theology/philosophy blog</a>, others will follow on Lit Crit and Fiction/poetry blogs.<br /><br />Will be home 5 days. (sun)Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-55686641576792312962008-12-09T08:33:00.000-08:002008-12-09T08:36:56.503-08:00When Worlds Collide....This whole warrior-poet thing might be getting out hand...<br /><br />Last night I was studying with our COIC/PHC/GMU/PBN for the ROTC final which I had this morning.... I was memorizing the objectives of a recon mission, which follow:<br /><br />Get information<br />Employ Security measures<br />Avoid detection<br />Task organize<br /><br />Of course, everything in the Army runs by acronyms for easy memorization (usually), so this was easily converted into "GEAT." HEY!!!! That's the tribe Beowulf belonged to! I can remember that!<br /><br />Upon my announcing this, Evans promptly pronounced me a nerd for relating ROTC stuff to my Literature major...but, hey, this whole classical liberal arts thing is about interdisciplinary study and compilation, right?<br /><br />And that did come up on the exam, and I did remember it. Poetic justice, baby. ;-)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi210nnf9srJBlAkcod5cH_3KIwteoMU7xmbW2pJJyLSlCs2aO2fcvDcXyGJiOQ9SOdtn3pD4IYH-3gRZ06k-15ugwDcpxjX75yLjpMWbXhP6PXwu9qxpwpCYU3GUKnaU-VUfnYZrnTEyXZ/s1600-h/Beowulf.firstpage.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 494px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi210nnf9srJBlAkcod5cH_3KIwteoMU7xmbW2pJJyLSlCs2aO2fcvDcXyGJiOQ9SOdtn3pD4IYH-3gRZ06k-15ugwDcpxjX75yLjpMWbXhP6PXwu9qxpwpCYU3GUKnaU-VUfnYZrnTEyXZ/s320/Beowulf.firstpage.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277829797109166066" border="0" /></a><br />The first page of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Beowulf </span>manuscript. "Geat" can be found at the beginning of the 14th line.Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-37591718948905925492008-12-01T06:43:00.000-08:002008-12-01T11:00:25.541-08:00Ummmm....So some wag put mistletoe up all over the Red Hill lobby (and elsewhere).<br /><br />Charitably interpreting the perpetrator's intention, I can only imagine that their argument went something like this:<br /><br />The <span style="font-style: italic;">telos </span>of mistletoe is kissing and romance.<br /><br />The <span style="font-style: italic;">telos </span>of a PHC romance is lots of little conservatives.<br /><br />The <span style="font-style: italic;">telos </span>of a PHC mistletoe is lots of kissing and romance, which leads to lots of little conservatives.<br /><br />Ergo, this must be a good idea.<br /><br />Something about mistletoe being good for the soul was probably thrown in for good measure.<br /><br />Now, don't get me wrong, like any good PHC student I'm all for the idea of lots of conservative little kids and the edification of the soul....but mistletoe? This smacks a little of desperation. <br /><br />In the meantime, I'm taking comfort in the fact that it's plastic, therefore non-binding for us traditionalists.<br /><br />But just to be safe, I will vacate my usual study spot in the lobby until after Christmas....Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-61289009563892060112008-11-18T09:02:00.000-08:002008-11-18T09:20:39.723-08:00It's almost that time of year....The trees are nearly bare. The wind sweeps the fallen leaves into piles against the curb and playfully nips at the faces of students making their way from building to building; they are bundled against the weather, their eyes and red noses peeping from their layers of clothing, their arms tightly guarding themselves from the draught. Scattered snowflakes have fallen upon the campus over the past 15 hours, though not enough to stay.<br /><br /> In a week is Thanksgiving break, and I'll be going up to my PA grandparents' for the week. And in a month (give or take a couple days), after a pile of papers and reading and exams (which I'll manage by the grace of God), the semester will be over and I'll be home for Christmas. I'm looking forward to it--to seeing family and friends and once again being home on the Nebraskan plains...to standing in a field blanketed in fresh, virgin snow, a full moon washing it in luminescence, its rays refracted by the ice on the branches of trees.<br /><br /> We've begun to play Christmas music in my wing. :-)<br /><br /> Go check out the <a href="http://www.myspace.com/mountainaires">Myspace page</a> of the Mountainaires, a North Carolina group of homeschooled guys who play a mix of traditional bluegrass/Celtic/Appalachian music. Two of their members are here at Patrick Henry College (one of them attends the same church as I). They just released their second album, a Christmas album, and I'd highly recommend it. <br /><br /> The Lord be with you all and give you grace; see you soon!<br /><br />"Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings upon the altar. And the LORD smelled a savor of rest, and the LORD said in His heart, I will henceforth curse the ground no more for man's cause: for the imagination of man's heart is evil, even from his youth: neither will I smite anymore all things living, as I have done. Hereafter seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and Summer and Winter, and day and night shall not cease, so long as the earth remaineth." Genesis 8:20-22Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-78753960829147112142008-11-04T20:57:00.000-08:002008-11-04T21:04:17.506-08:00"The Most High bears rule over the kingdom of men; He gives it to whomsoever He wills." ~Daniel 4:29<br /><br />"The heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord; He guides it like a river wherever He wills." ~Proverbs 21:1<br /><br />"<span id="en-KJV-29718" class="sup"></span>I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; <p> <span id="en-KJV-29719" class="sup"></span>For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. </p> <span id="en-KJV-29720" class="sup"></span>For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour."<br /> ~1 Timothy 2:1-3<br /><br />"<span id="en-KJV-28268" class="sup">1</span><span style="font-style: italic;">Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God</span>. <p> <span id="en-KJV-28269" class="sup">2</span>Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. </p><p> <span id="en-KJV-28270" class="sup">3</span>For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: </p><p> <span id="en-KJV-28271" class="sup">4</span>For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. </p><p> <span id="en-KJV-28272" class="sup">5</span>Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. </p><p> <span id="en-KJV-28273" class="sup">6</span>For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. </p><p> <span id="en-KJV-28274" class="sup">7</span>Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour."</p><p> ~Romans 13:1-7</p><p><br /></p><span id="en-KJV-30413" class="sup">"13</span>Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; <p> <span id="en-KJV-30414" class="sup">14</span>Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. </p><p> <span id="en-KJV-30415" class="sup">15</span>For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: </p><p> <span id="en-KJV-30416" class="sup">16</span>As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. </p><p> <span id="en-KJV-30417" class="sup">17</span>Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king. </p><p> <span id="en-KJV-30418" class="sup">18</span>Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. </p><p> <span id="en-KJV-30419" class="sup">19</span>For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. </p><p> <span id="en-KJV-30420" class="sup">20</span>For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. </p><p> <span id="en-KJV-30421" class="sup">21</span>For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: </p><p> <span id="en-KJV-30422" class="sup">22</span>Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: </p><p> <span id="en-KJV-30423" class="sup">23</span>Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: </p><p> <span id="en-KJV-30424" class="sup">24</span>Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. </p><p> <span id="en-KJV-30425" class="sup">25</span>For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls."</p><p>~1 Peter 2:13-25<br /></p>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-89092204889481176322008-10-10T13:58:00.000-07:002008-10-10T14:30:21.489-07:00My Poor Neglected BlogOught to be updated. <br /><br />Life has been busy, but alot of fun, too. Between Drama, English Literature Seminar I, Metaphysics, Biology and Lab, and ROTC and Lab, I'm learning alot; the professors are great, and the classmates are thoughtful and fun. We've had alot of good talks in and out of class; there are alot of great, Godly lads here with whom one can just talk or have fun. My wing is pretty much amazing, and very close-knit. And very musical--every one of our 7 rooms has at least one musician. Speaking of music, I'm playing classical guitar with one of the Chapel Guild groups once every two weeks. That's a neat opportunity.<br /> <br /> There have been three engagements (and Bobtisms) since I arrived, mostly of seniors. One couple I knew in DL, and I know another pretty well since the guy is also in ROTC and pretty much the head of the ROTC group here on campus. It's been neat to observe the serious relationships here, and compare it to others that I've observed, mostly elsewhere. God bless them all!<br /><br /> Homecoming was alot of fun, and watching both the men's and women's soccer teams has been a great way to release pent-up energy in cheering wildly from the sidelines (I'm hoping to go out next year). Of course, there are also the impromptu wrestling matches here in the dorm and the moments of weekend randomness (hiking, mummy attacks and drain-pipe spelunking come to mind first). So, yes, we're getting a good balance of work and play.<br /><br />I've also been blessed in finding a good church family here. The folks at Ketoctin Covenant Presbyterian are kind and family-oriented, having the students over on occasion; the messages are solidly Scriptural and Christocentric; the musical worship reverent and lyrically deep. In the Sunday service, we're going through Luke; in Sunday School, we're studying <span style="font-style: italic;">The Christ of the Covenants</span>, a study of the continuity (despite diversity of administration) of the covenants throughout Scripture, and how Christ was the fulfillment of them all and will consummate them upon His return. Inspiring studies!<br /><br />Life is good...<br /><br />I'm going to try to post some more (including pictures) sometime over the weekend. Stay tuned!Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-1396674546130176232008-09-11T06:01:00.000-07:002008-09-11T06:30:14.934-07:00Do Not Forget7 years ago, in a loss of civilian life numerically greater than the military losses at Pearl Harbor, America was assaulted in the name of radical Islam. In hatred of the freedom we have, in hatred of our Christianity (and our secularism), Islamic terrorists murdered nearly 3,000 men and women in New York City and Washington, D. C.<br /><br />I still remember my grandmother calling my mom in the middle of the school day and telling her to turn on the TV; my mom and I together watched the second plane fly into the World Trade Center. And we watched them collapse in flame and flying debris.<br /><br />The result was a deep-rooted anger which, God, in His merciful grace, has since rooted out of my heart--a story in itself--and replaced with a more deeply seated desire to protect my family and friends and country from another such occurrence.<br /><br />On campus today, the security officers lowered the flag to half-staff, and we had a time of silence. Silence in remembrance of those who died in a raging inferno without the opportunity for peace. Silence for those who have died without murmur, without complaint, in the mountains of Afghanistan and on the streets of Iraq, to preserve peace and freedom for their own. And, for me, and a number of others here, a silent resolve to carry on that work, that our loved ones may live and die in peace.<br /><br />Do not forget the hands that died reaching for life, nor those hands that fell while giving life...do not abandon them to the silence of the grave. We cannot give life to the honored dead, but we can ensure they did not die in vain, by our remembrance, and a commitment to live worthily of their sacrifice. May those who have gone before us rest in peace.<br /><br />PSALM 94<br /><br /><br />1 O Lord God the avenger, O God the avenger,<br />show thyself clearly.<br /><br />2 Exalt thyself, O Judge of the world, and render<br />a reward to the proud.<br /><br />3 Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall<br />the wicked triumph?<br /><br />4 They prate and speak fiercely: all the workers<br />of iniquity vaunt themselves.<br /><br />5 They smite down thy people, O Lord, and<br />trouble thine heritage.<br /><br />6 They slay the widow and the stranger, and<br />murder the fatherless.<br /><br />7 Yet they say, The Lord shall not see: neither<br />will the God of Jacob regard it.<br /><br />8 Understand, ye unwise among the people: and<br />ye fools, when will ye be wise?<br /><br />9 He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? or<br />he that formed the eye, shall he not see?<br /><br />10 Or he that chastiseth the nations, shall he<br />not correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall<br />he not know?<br /><br />11 The Lord knoweth the thoughts of man, that<br />they are vanity.<br /><br />12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastisest, O<br />Lord, and teachest him in thy Law,<br /><br />13 That thou mayest give him rest from the days<br />of evil, while the pit is dug for the wicked.<br /><br />14 Surely the Lord will not fail his people, neither<br />will he forsake his inheritance.<br /><br />15 For judgment shall return to justice, and all<br />the upright in heart shall follow after it.<br /><br />16 Who will rise up with me against the wicked?<br />or who will take my part against the workers of<br />iniquity?<br /><br />17 If the Lord had not helped me, my soul had<br />almost dwelt in silence.<br /><br />18 When I said, My foot slideth, thy mercy, O<br />Lord, stayed me.<br /><br />19 In the multitude of my thoughts in mine heart,<br />thy comforts have rejoiced my soul.<br /><br />20 Hath the throne of iniquity fellowship with<br />thee, which forgeth wrong for a Law?<br /><br />21 They gather them together against the soul of<br />the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.<br /><br />22 But the Lord is my refuge, and my God is the<br />rock of mine hope.<br /><br />23 And he will recompense them their wickedness,<br />and destroy them in their own malice, yea, the Lord<br />our God shall destroy them.Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-49039702593912537182008-07-26T19:08:00.000-07:002008-07-26T19:09:23.436-07:00The Devil You SayObama as the Christ Child. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/gerard_baker/article4392846.ece">(link)</a>Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1886455069630939756.post-35308351938234733972008-07-22T20:59:00.000-07:002008-07-22T21:03:29.260-07:00Newsflash“Hello, I'm Shepard Smith for FOX News. While there has been much talk lately of the economy, the housing market, and inflation, our sources say that yet another sector has been hit with amazing rates of inflation. But this is not your ordinary economic inflation; in a surprising twist, it seems that the worth of pictures has increased beyond all precedented market values. Colin in Nebraska has the story:”<br /><br />Colin: “Good evening, Shepard. That’s right, pictures have jumped to nearly 30 times their historical value. As I’m sure you well know, pictures have been, from time immemorial, worth a thousand words, neither more nor less.<br /><br />Well, our sources were surfing blogs a number of days ago, and came across a blog post entitled ‘<a href="http://becoming88.blogspot.com/2008/07/about-million-words-worth-of-pictures.html">About a million words’ worth of pictures (more or less).</a>’ Further investigation revealed that there were only 35 pictures. By the old picture standard, this would be worth 35,000 words. To value them at anything approximating a million words would require each picture to be worth, well, to be exact, it would be 28,571.4 words. Actually, those digits repeat infinitely.”<br /><br />Shepard: “Wow!”<br /><br />Colin: “Yes, wow! The worth of pictures has jumped by a factor of 28.5714!”<br /><br />Shepard: “So what does this mean for the economy of pictures and words?”<br /><br />Colin: “Well, it’s hard to say at this point, but naturally those advocating the word standard are dumbfounded and slightly peeved by this discovery. To decrease the value of words in their proportion to pictures is, to them, unacceptable. To those with digital cameras, however, this development is one to be greeted happily, and forget the troglodytes, they say.”<br /><br />Shepard: “Fair enough. Well, keep us updated.”<br /><br />Colin: “I will. Thank—“<br /><br />Shepard: “Colin? Colin? Hmmm…the link seems to have been lost. In other news, authorities have reported an outbreak of the dread disease ANS—coincidentally, in the area from which Colin was just reporting. It stands for Acute Nerd Syndrome, and is brought about by long-term book deprivation and preparations for college, symptoms being logorrhea, sesquipedalianism, compulsively executing long division problems, irritability, etc. Most susceptible are those with a history of addiction to <em>litteras</em> and those with a personal or family history of CNS: Chronic Nerd Syndrome.<br /><br />Oh, and look, our link is back.”<br /><br />Colin: “NO!!!! YOU CAN’T TAKE ME!!!! JUST BECAUSE I ACTUALLY BOTHERED TO FIGURE OUT HOW MANY WORDS IT WAS PER PICTURE!!!! ON PAPER!!!!! WITHOUT A CALCULATOR!!!! AND I READ LES MISERABLES FOR FUN!!!!! AND I LIKED LORD OF THE RINGS!!!!! AND I WAS HOMESCHOOLED!!!!!!!”<br /><br />Shepard: “It appears one of our reporters has just been taken into custody and quarantined, having shown severe symptoms of ANS.<br /><br />Anyway, stay tuned. Soon our sources will have a report on a recent Army ROTC training camp, complete with pictures and funny stories.”Colinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04407091767626766647noreply@blogger.com7