My lips long to hold battle cry's.
My arms long to strike down Evil.
My legs long to run endlessly.
My hands long to pull me into trees.
My feet long to hold firm.
My heart longs for adventure.
My mind longs for battle.
My spirit longs for God.

That longing shall be no more.
Adventure is here.
Adventure lives!
Adventure never dies!

God is here!
God lives!
God never dies!

Liberally Allegorical.

I realize I haven't posted a thing in, well a long time. So here is something. I was supposed to write an essay on my goals for a liberal arts education. I wrote an allegory. So here is that.

To answer the question of “What are my goals for a liberal arts education?” I have  written an allegory.

Imagine, if you will, the country of Milden. A snowy, wooded kingdom surrounded by large bodies of water on three sides with castles, castle ruins, villages, trolls, goblins, elfs, dragons, and everything a typical euro-fantasy country needs. In the land of Milden there lives a young wood elf, named Daithi, who spent his childhood with bare feet at the top of every tree he could climb, and his nose in any book he could get his hands on. As he grew older he also spent time competing with his friends in swordplay and archery, learning the ways of the Ancient Wisdom under the mages and priests of the temple of Elohim, and learning the intricate paths of harmony and melody from the local bards.

Now, Milden is a cultured country, and although life is hard in Milden, the Mildons are a happy people that recognize many holidays and festivals and celebrations.  In the town of Häuten, where our young hero lives, there is one particular celebration centered around the local college, Hyle College. It is a celebration with musics and prayers and worship of the Ancient of Days, Elohim, before classes began. Now Daithi was friends with some students of Hyle and was invited to attend this festival with them. Daithi was a wood elf that always strove to love Elohim more, one of his earliest wishes was to have a heart as large as Elohim’s. In fact he was often compared by the mages, elders, and priestesses to the Laon of Jodan, one written to be a man after Elohim’s own heart. So Daithi loved worshiping him and found great joy in this festival.

After the festival Daithi and his friends kept praying and spending time with the other festival attendee’s. Elohim had placed on the heart of one of those people, who Daithi was unfamiliar with, a message for Daithi. One concerning his place in the world.

“I see a great heart; A mighty passion. You will change the world. Not just for today. Elohim with use you to change it for all of time. You are needed here at Hyle.”

In his heart, Daithi knew this too be true.

Time for Daithi did what time does, and passed. He grew. Although Daithi had heard and received this message of Elohim, he still felt purposeless. He did not know what The Ancient of Days wanted him to do. What were the steps he needed to take to go down this path that he had been called to? With the passing of time Daithi slipped more into this feeling of purposelessness. He heard tales of the Wise Mages, the Brave Warriors, and the Cunning Rangers who had gone out into the wilds of Milden. To  the mountains, and  forests, and ruins they had gone to conquer bandits, beasts, trolls, and dragons. But here was Daithi, feeling lost and alone.

Soon came the time when Daithi and his friends had to think about moving out of their parents’ homes and pursuing their separate paths, whether it be adventuring, or apprenticing under a craftsmen, or heading off to one of the colleges in their preferred field. Daithi’s friends were going all over from The Knights’ Academe to the Mage’s College. His friend Jeshu was skipping Bard School and  pursuing a bardic lifestyle straightaway, roaming the road between Häuten and Gren Riven performing in plays and telling stories of his adventures. Another friend of his Sylvius was studying to become a Master Archer for King Rook’s army.

But Daithi, well Daithi wasn’t sure. Daithi had so many interests, from his childhood love of stories, myths, and histories he could become a writer or a scholar in one of the many larger colleges that dotted the land. And his love of swordplay and archery suited him well to join The Knights’ Academe or follow the footsteps of his friend Sylvius.  Perhaps he could go to the Vishten Mage’s College and study the Ancient Wisdom of Elohim. And then too Daithi had always been gifted in music and performance, and he would indeed have loved to travel as a Bard with his friend Jeshu, but none of these places seemed to be right for him. Though he was a passionate individual he didn’t have any particular passion for just one thing. What Daithi loved was to pursue a combination of these things.

So Daithi remembered Elohim’s message for him, that Hyle needed him.  And maybe he needed Hyle just as much. And so Daithi settled his heart in on going to Hyle, despite not knowing the specifics of the future adventure he was called to by Elohim. But his parents were not satisfied with this. They desired for Daithi to keep his options open because Hyle required more silver then he had, and they would be unable to help him out if needed. But Daithi knew in his heart where he belonged. And so he put his trust in Elohim. Lack of silver is a simple problem to the Ancient of Days, for he provides all things to those who follow him.

And so Daithi set out on the first step of this adventure, to study at Hyle College, although unsure of what just yet to study. But he knows in his Laon’s Heart that it is just the first step to fulfilling his purpose. His first step on a greater adventure then he could have dreamed.  So his chase after Elohim’s heart begins at Hyle, and will end only in Heaven.

∆∆∆

This is my purpose here at Hope College: To chase after the Heart of God, to find and follow his path. The benefit of doing it at Hope is my ability to study the “Ancient Wisdom” of God’s Love and Power, and to perfect my craft of Sound and Silence, Movement and Stillness: Music and Theatre. I have already within months here changed my mind from Music Education to Majoring in Theatre and Minoring in Ministry and Music, and I can do that here. As God instructs or leads I can pursue my gifts and passions down different paths, while still learning other subjects that interest me. I am so blessed to be able to do something like that, and to do it in a community that supports and understands that when other people, even people like my parents who are Strong Christians, don’t.

My goal for this education, whatever education I receive, is to follow The Wild Untamed Heart of Iehovah, and to effect, and affect, others in positive ways, and to spread his love and healing with open arms. Now if you’ll excuse me, this wood elf has some dragons to slay and some trees to climb.

Tiger

Hey I said I would post pictures of my tiger. Well super late but here:

Daydreams

I like to picture myself living in a house. One that overlooks some vast expanse of land or sea. Whether it be hills or plains or forest. On the top floor of this house there is a window. A large beautiful window, through which I can sit and watch over the vast expanse of earth or sea.

Through this window I can watch the clouds.

As everyone knows clouds are not always the lazy shapeshifting floaters that used to backstroke as dragons or knights or cars or unicorns through our summer imagination as children. Sometimes clouds take beautifully frightening turns inwards on themselves and morph from the pleasant daydreams into the challenging nightmares.

I love storms.
But storms can be forboding.

As I watch this metamorphosis of the sky from my window, I know what I am going to do.
I abandon my post at the window and appear shortly after on my porch. In my right hand I hold my weathered but true Baritone Horn. In my left hand I hold my words.

With Words and Will, Music and Might; I will stand true through this coming storm. Whatever it may spit. Whatever it may growl. Because that is how I was made. To stand when threatened. Bite when provoked. Always rising when knocked down.