Nothing New.

My first post in what seems like years. It's crazy to think that it's only been twelve days since I last blogged. Now we're one day away from the end of WoW* and the beginning of the new semester.

I haven't had a lot of time to write because I've been constantly trying to tie up any loose ends for WoW. The opening video came together splendidly, and I'll try to attach it to the end of this post (I say "try" because it wouldn't upload the other night...) Other than that, I've been scheduling clubs, organizations and ministries to come to the Job/Involvement Fair, running the info tent, and facilitating Parent/Prof. Coffee. It's all fun stuff, and since I don't have any classes to worry about, I've welcomed the full schedule.

I suppose the reason I'm writing this is to jot down some thoughts I had earlier today before they float on out of my head forever. Here goes.

Last year my RA was Nick. He was a senior (meaning now he's graduated) who's getting married this September. I love Nick and thoroughly enjoyed his RA-ness, but he did have some strong opinions about things. For instance, he is one of the foremost figures who influenced me to become a pacifist**. Among these opinions was one regarding CCU's President Bill Armstrong. Armstrong is extremely conservative in thought and faith, which chafes Nick's liberal worldviews. I have never spent extensive time with President Armstrong, and as such I relied on other people's experienced to shape my opinion. Nick's opinion of Armstrong, which I value a lot, was not a high one. As such, I've never been too big of a fan.

Yet today in WoW, we had what's called "Call to Community," during which the CCU Brass emerge from their lofty positions to get some face-time with the students, parents, and faculty to kick off the school year. The last speaker, unsurprisingly, was President Armstrong himself. As the leader of my school rose to speak, I felt myself readying a good eye roll or two. Yet what was said took me by surprise. Armstrong spoke in his confident, resounding voice about CCU and his hopes for the campus. During one point, he reminisced about a time a student asked him what the goals for CCU are. He responded*** that students at CCU should learn well, have fun, honor Christ, and change the world.

When I heard him say that, I raised my eyebrows and felt a surge of confidence and liking towards him. Those goals for the school - for me - sounded like something I wanted to get behind.

But surely I can't agree with Armstrong!? Yet I did. Completely.

About that time was when I realized that I was being stupid. I was fooling myself into the same trap I've been trying so hard to avoid recently. Armstrong, despite his conservative agenda and mindset, is still a Christian. Which means that right or wrong, outdated or savvy, grumpy or cheerful, we are brothers. We are family. We are on the same team. It was a freeing thought, really. I didn't have to resent CCU because of our leadership anymore. I didn't have to grumble whenever I received an email "From the desk of President Bill Armstrong." Because we are family.

It's more or less like how I feel with American Christianity. It has earned itself such a bad rep (and it's not completely unfounded, either. Take a look at a megachurch that uses tithes to build a brand new cathedral while the homeless starve on the streets.) Yet despite how much I want to scoff and distance myself from them, we are family. I can't just go around denouncing the people who worship Jesus right beside me, y'know? That just doesn't make any sense.

I'm not saying I agree 100% with where Armstrong wants to take CCU. I'm not completely onboard with his thoughts or ideas or interpretations. But that's okay, really. I mean without some conservative thinkers, where would we be?

In short, it was nothing new. Just another way I realized I was being tricked into wandering from the path I try so desperately to cling to - a path of acceptance, tolerance, love, and compassion. A path that unites a student body with its overhead and a school with its country. A path that works to tie things together, not tear them apart. A good path, in short.

Thanks for reading,

-Daniel K

*That's Weekend of Welcome, in case you're wondering.

**I use this term loosely, since the traditional interpretation alludes to non-action. I believe in taking action wholeheartedly, but my disagreement comes with what action should be taken.

***I'm not sure of his exact words, hence the lack of quotation marks.

Here and Now.

Hello to everyone out there diligently reading this blog. I would like to officially welcome you to my 100th (published) post! Since it's been almost exactly two years since I started blogging, I thought I would dedicate this blog to giving everyone a little snapshot of my life in the here and now.

First off, I am back in Denver and about to start gearing up for the 2009 Fall semester at Colorado Christian University. I am looking forward to another year of activities, adventures, and learning. I will be living back in the Ghetto, the same freshman stairwell I was in last year. This time around, however, I will be an RAR (that is, a Resident Assistant's Roommate) living with the RA of the Ghetto and helping run activities and events throughout the year.

In addition to being an RAR, I am on the Weekend of Welcome (WoW) committee. Hence why I am here so early.* Planning WoW has been a lot of fun and a lot of work... two of my favorite things. The other committee members and I will meet tomorrow to start finalizing all of the events and times, and then begin executing them accordingly. This year's orientation weekend is going to be excellent!

The leadership seminars and other such crud will begin on August 14th, which I will also be attending due to my involvement in the Resident Housing Association (RHA) and the Discipleship Program (I'll be a D-Group Leader.) Once all of that is over, classes will start and I'll be back in action as far as school goes. For RHA, I will be the Director of Freshman Communities. This means I will gather representatives from the freshmen stairwells to help plan all-freshman activities, let the freshmen class's voice be heard around campus, and help unite the stairwells into one large community. As I also mentioned, I'll be a D-Group leader for the fall semester, meaning I will lead a group of 6 to 8 freshman guys in a Bible study every week until Christmas. I don't want to reveal anything yet in case word gets out, but suffice to say that I've got some SWEET stuff planned for my group.

On the academic side of things, I've unofficially** decided to major in Global Studies (AKA International Studies) and I know what you're thinking: "What will you do with that degree?" Forgive me for answering your question with another question, but why are you asking? I think what you do is superfluous in comparison to who you are. Secondly, I don't know what I want to do. All I know is that I took a few global studies classes last semester and I really liked them (and the professors) so I want to study what I love while I'm here. Vocation can come later.

Along with that, I am considering a double-major in English or Communication... meaning I'll either be a Global Studies/English major or a Global Studies/Communication major. I haven't decided which one yet but, much like Global Studies, I enjoy learning about both of them and as such desire to major in one. I suppose there is the third option of graduating early, which is completely doable given the AP credits I came in with.*** I just don't know if I want to rush the the most amazing time of my life.****

As far as off-campus activities go, I am still involved with my church, Light and Life Community Church. I am the youth intern and as such I help run the weekly youth group services, play in the worship band, lead a freshman boys' small group, and shoot videos to be used in messages. I absolutely love helping out, and I'm really looking forward to this coming year, when I start in with the freshman guys and continue with playing the drums.

In the realm of employment, I am pleading the fifth. Although I do still have a sweet gig downtown every weekend involving a bucket and some drum sticks.

I believe that about sums everything up. Life was pretty slow over the summer - a lot^ of time to relax and chill out - which is something I've never particularly liked or enjoyed. Yet it was really awesome to get to see all my friends and family. All in all, I'm happy I went back to my old stomping grounds for a few weeks, and I'm also happy to return to Colorado.

I'll be keeping you all up to date on my school-time activities in the weeks to come.


Thanks for reading,

-Daniel K





*Classes don't start until the 24th of August.
**I say "unofficially" because I have yet to declare a major with my academic advisor in anything.
***Something to the tune of 'a whole semester's worth of credits.'
****Have I mentioned I love college?
^Perhaps too much?

Onward and Upward.

I've always wondered what the correct way to take bad news is. By that I mean I wonder how I should react to bad news in a way that accurately reflects who I am. I think too many Christians put on the plastic "everything's okay with the Lord in my life!" expression. Yet you read through the Bible - heck, just the book of Psalms - and you really see the full gamut of emotions displayed when bad news is brought. People tear their robes, rip out beards, get in fights, beat their chests, and cry out.

Sometimes I feel it's appropriate to get all dark and brooding, y'know? I want to shut up and think over what I've heard. I feel this conveys a sort of pensive, reserved personality. It's like saying, "that's bad news, but I'm not going to let you know how I really feel. Maybe I'll give you the scoop, and maybe not. Because I'm edgy." I'll ride my bike or go jogging to accentuate this response.

Other times I want to attack. I'm not good at physical fighting, which is good because it keeps me out of trouble. But I want to sort of flex what I have - intellect. I want to respond with a borderline attacking manner of dialogue. I want to try and show the bearer of bad news that I'm smarter and much more clever than they are, in an attempt to browbeat them into feeling bad that they've told me. I'll start making my words bigger and more obscure and say stuff like, "That's almost as inconceivably unintelligible as the first words vomited from a child's gullet."

Other times I want to just spew out words. I'll hear the bad news and go on for a while about my shoes that got ice cream spilled on them or my friends and how things are different now than they were before. I'll ramble about stuff that's been bothering me recently, bringing everything from the most insignificant occurrences to the present issues to the surface to be most un-triumphantly exposed to the light.

I guess what really matters is what you do with the news.

After the initial shock is over, how do you respond? How do you seek solutions to problems, resolve conflicts, or change your course accordingly? You can get bitter, that's for sure. You can think of all the reasons why it's not your fault, all the ways you've been wronged, all the misery that wasn't deserved. I've found the bitterness response to be mostly if not fully useless, however.

I suppose you could just shrug it off. You can take a step or two back from your life, back from your past, back from the stupid decisions and troubles you've had. You can realize that you're only 19, you live in America, and oh yeah you worship the God of the universe Whose name is Love.

In the end, you can decide to stay where you are and lament, sit still and fester. Or you can move. You can shake your head briefly, give it all one last fleeting glance, and move onward and upward.

After all, you're not the first one to receive bad news. And you won't be the last.

Thanks for reading,

-Daniel K

The Ghost of Ghettos Past.

I leave in five days to go back to CCU and the Ghetto to start my second year. Whenever I think about this fact, I feel a rush of excitement swarm over my body, not unlike the times in elementary school when I would wake up and realize that it was field trip day. This is due to the fact that my previous year at CCU revolutionized my life and my faith.

Never before had I lived in a community of guys. Quite the opposite, really, since I resided with my Mom and sister through most of high school. I learned what it was like to live as men - eating cereal for breakfast lunch and dinner on weekends, leaving the toilet seat up permanently, trying to understand the mysteries of the women-folk, and of course the 'pants optional' rule. I realized that, despite how things seem sometimes, I'm not alone in a lot of my circumstances.

In addition, I learned the incredible value of a communal faith. My experiences here in Nevada had, unbeknownst to me, placed a distinct emphasis on the individual side of my faith. It was my relationship with my Savior, and I went to my church to read my bible, etc. At CCU, however, I saw the beauty and necessity of a group of believers. I saw how the epistles were written to communities, how the Torah was recited to a community, how the Church is not a building but a community of Christ-followers. Looking back, it all seems so obvious, the importance of community. I guess I just had to experience it to come to terms with the necessity.

I remember how I felt before my first day started. I asked my RA, Nick, how difficult classes were. I asked if he did well his freshman year, if the professors were hard, whether the classes had vertical learning curves. I was scared to death that I would fail. I had done well in high school, but that seemed so trivial. Dayton High School isn't exactly the pinnacle of college prep, and I had convinced myself that everyone around me knew exactly what was in store for them.

I recall meeting my roommates. Dan was first, since he showed up early for the athletes' retreat. He had spiky blonde hair, three tons of Top Ramen, and spoke with a humorous, hesitant tone that to me gave no indication of his Missouri origin. Cameron was next, lumbering in with his super deep voice and autographed Leeland t-shirt which he promptly pinned to the wall in our bedroom. He was a surfer dude from southern California, tanned and muscular. He walked around for the first week or so of school barefoot. Mike was last, carrying his guitar and amp up the stairs into our room with his dad close behind. Quiet and reserved, he didn't look anything like his Facebook pictures led us to believe.

I remember, a few weeks into my college experience, how I echoed the words of a friend; "One month ago, I was scared of coming to college. How strange." From there, everything was a blast. I reveled in the challenge of some professors and breathed in the simplicity of Gen. Eds. I stayed out late some nights and woke up early some mornings.

I got acquainted with the other members of the Ghetto through various exploits. There was the Jeep ride to downtown with Camo, the days of Winter Term with Nick, the visits to Chili's with Logan, Dan The Man, and Austin, the trip to Copper Mountain with Big Mike, and the 'draining' with Scott and Austin.

Now I stand poised on the edge of my second year back in the Ghetto. I'm pretty scared, to be perfectly honest. I know that nothing is ever the same, especially given the nature of a community - each year brings new challenges, new faces, and new opportunities. Im afraid that the Ghetto guys won't be as fun or as cool as my group were. Or that there will be a lot of fighting and bickering. Or any number of things, really.

Yet at the same time, I'm unbelievably excited. I can't wait to see how the Ghetto grows together this coming year. I look forward to game night with the Boondocks, to my D-Group, and to everything else the Ghetto entails.

And besides, I'm sure that three or four weeks into this coming semester, I will once again be saying to myself, "One month ago, I was scared of coming to college. How strange."

Funny how life works.

Thanks for reading,

-Daniel K