Philosophy 101: God’s Not Dead

     The first time I watched the film God’sNot Dead with my mom and my youngest sister.  I didn’t catch everything that happened, in part, because we were talking during some of it, someone decided to search for and order a clothing item online, we were texting (people who weren’t present), and my mom had no idea how to backtrack using her remote control.  I jotted down some quotes and phrases in the little notebook I keep in my purse to jump-start my memory later on about possible writing topics. 

     The egotistical Professor Radisson (played by Kevin Sorbo) is clearly more interested in building up his own image and spreading his anti-theist propaganda than he is in imparting knowledge or promoting logical thinking.  He concentrates on running roughshod over an entire class because domination rather than education is his primary goal. 

     Throughout the film, we hear various philosophical questions, many of which we studied on the creation of the universe and the existence of God in the Philosophy of Religion course I took from Dr. Downey.   I have concluded that Dr. Patrick Downey, philosophy professor at Hollins University, is the perfect foil to Dr. Death-to-Any-Thought-or-Opposition Radisson.  

     God’s Not Dead reminded me of the hours I spent reading arguments and discussions by philosophers who lived and wrote a number of years ago.  That semester I went to class with all of these different theories, questions, and debates in my head, then Dr. Downey would ask us questions that would make us dig even deeper to understand and explain what these men were proposing, what line of logic they followed, and if it made sense.  He was so good at playing the devil’s advocate from every side that I couldn’t tell from what he said in class whether or not he believed in God.  (It honestly wasn’t until I saw him as part of a group of faculty members who came around to the dorms and houses to sing Christmas carols that I realized he is a Christian.)    

     Someone who is so interested in developing his students’ logic and reasoning skills that he’ll take the opposite side of just about any argument to get them to examine it more closely from all facets is a good philosophy professor.  At times, I could almost feel my mind stretching to new lengths and expanding when faced with these universal questions about God and man. Even if the answers weren’t clear, just knowing the questions people thought to ask made me feel like my brain would have to grow in order to contain all the possibilities.

     My favorite day of this course was Friday. Why? Because Saturday was sure to follow? No, it was because after doing my best to sift through, consider, accept, and/or debate so many concepts, I would get into my light blue Pontiac 6000 and drive through a very picturesque valley. I would get out at the top of a hill and could feel God welcoming me, His mother outside waiting for me to enter.

     I always arrived just in time, gave a quiet nod to the other regulars who had come to worship, and sat down ready to let the clutter in my mind exit, so only faith would remain. Before long, the reasons and questions, some of which reason may never understand, were replaced by truth, hope, and love. I couldn’t help but smile as I professed the Creed, reached out my hands to others to pray the Our Father, and give the sign of peace. I yearned for the Eucharist. I had answers and could embrace, even appreciate, the mysteries inherent and perhaps necessary to having faith.

     I would walk out of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church after Mass feeling refreshed in my faith and grounded in the truth. It was a great way to put the philosophers’ voices and nitty-gritty debates to rest so that the Holy Spirit was easier for me to hear in the present.

God's not dead.  He is truly alive!

A Letter to Graduates

Dear Graduate,

    
Congratulations!  You did it!  Who knew that you’d one day make it so far, overcome so many obstacles, embrace so many new opportunities, and develop such wonderful friendships?  God did.  He’s known all along the passions in your heart and how you would and will continue to inspire others.   

   
My wish, hope, and prayers for you are that throughout your life you will grow in your awareness of God’s unconditional love, endless mercy, and unbounded joy so that you can continue being a source of living hope to all who come into contact with you.

   
There are some important lessons to remember as you move to the next step in your journey.  People and relationships are far more important than money, worldly success, awards, or prestige.  You are God’s Beloved Child.  I can almost hear some of you asking: "Who me?!"  To which I'd respond with a resounding, "Yes, you!"  

 
God has, does, and will always love you more than anyone else has, does, or can—even your parents, grandparents, family members, closest friends, or your spouse.  Almighty God is the only who one can and will always be with you, and, despite occasional thoughts and feelings to the contrary, He will never abandon or forsake you. 

   
I found it to be so easy to get caught up in my own hopes and dreams or to make my decisions and assess my worth based on the evaluations I receive from others.  Above all, though, we are to seek the Will of the Lord in all areas of our lives and accept the abundance of blessings He provides for us to live that out.  It is the only plan which is best for everyone involved in time and eternity.  We are encouraged and created to move, grow, and have our being in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Any good gifts we have come from Him. Any good we can do for others flows from Him through us.  Only in uniting yourself with the Source of All Love and life will you be a most effective vessel and conduit of love, compassion, generosity, and kindness. 

   
May you keep prayer a source of hope and healing in mind and heart as you seek and guide others in search of goodness, beauty, and Truth. 

     
It can be a little nerve-racking at times to move from one stage of life to the next, especially when it means saying goodbye to loved ones, a particular way of life, a gathering place for friends, but you’re well-equipped to go out into the world and continue making a difference doing what comes naturally to you. 

   
Be gentle with yourself during times of transition. 

   
Who you are is your gift to others and God’s gift to the world. Embrace that truth and live your life to the fullest.  God danced the day you were born and has been elated by you ever since.  Remember that you are loved and lovable because of who you are and whose you are—not because of what you do.  Your value has already been established as a child of God.  No other accolades, honors, or awards are needed to establish your worth.  It just is.

   
The greatest gifts bestowed upon us are those most precious in time and eternity: a love for family and friends, a true compassion for others, a concern for those less fortunate, an active prayer life, ongoing study and faith formation, being part of Christian community, performing actions that provide for the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs of others, and a yearning to do God’s will that are fueled by a desire to spend all of eternity with the angels, saints, and the loved ones who have gone before us to Heaven knowing that Christ's life, death, and resurrection have bought us eternal salvation.

   
“All things work for good for those who love God…”  The best in your life is yet to come.  Trust me—the wildest adventures, the most longed for opportunities, the most ecstatic joys, the most unusual challenges, the deepest love, the most profound mercy, and the best blessings beyond all of your hopes and dreams are yet to come for you!  

    

God bless and love from your sister in Christ, Trisha

Best Scare-Fest EVER! A Halloween Haunted Warehouse with the Roanoke Jaycees

The absolute best scare-fest ever was one I got to participate in from “the dark side.”

The whole thing was set up in this big old warehouse that you walked through, room by room, one frightening scene after another, really dark walkways, a guide in front of you with a flashlight pointed at the ground, monsters and mass murderers in convincing make-up and costumes pawing at you as you pass by, and a number of surprising, hair-raising twists and turns that managed to give even the most macho men a good startle. 

   
I went with some other friends from Hollins University to help out the Roanoke Jaycees with their haunted exhibit (which is unfortunately closed this year-2013), now known as the FEAR FACTORY. 

   
They had tons and tons of volunteers involved.  The decorating was really remarkable and detailed that they did to make this place genuinely spooky.  When we were given a walk-through tour I was very grateful that the lights were still on.  I quickly determined from this well-lit tour that I’d be okay taking people’s tickets at the door before entering this place, but that walking through that series of twists, turns, scary sights, and sudden frights multiple times with a group of people counting on me not to drop the flashlight and run screaming for the nearest door would be asking a bit much.

   
I still remember the sheer terror I felt during the latter part of a hayride a friend and I went on one October when I was trying to squeeze through a little space then run as fast as possible in a real forest in the dark from the crazy guy with a chainsaw.  It turns out I don’t like people running after me with chainsaws in a dark forest even if I know they aren’t really going to cut me into little pieces.  It seems even more ridiculous (at least to me) when I thought about the fact that I had paid to have someone inflict this punishment upon me.  I don’t watch horror flicks.  I’ve had enough real-life scary stuff happen that I don’t need the adrenalin-rush from something that’s not actually life-threatening or worthy of complete panic.

   
The Roanoke Jaycees went all-out.  The most shocking scare that particular year came near the end.  It’s dark, and you can see a sliver of light from outside, so you think the tour is almost over.  You’re looking forward, going towards the light when all of a sudden, headlights come on, a horn is blasting, and the front of a real car falls right into where you are standing with your mouth and eyes wide open and at the last minute hits a barrier that’s disguised on the other side of a farm-like wooden fence.  As you can probably imagine, some people were screaming their heads off at this point, which was kind of a cool additional real-life sound effect for those about to enter the haunted house or those already in it.

   
After a few seconds to recover from such a jolt and start breathing again, the group can clearly see that they are just steps away from the exit now, and can carry on laughing about the whole thing.  That’s where I came in.  There was less than two feet of space between the wall they’d constructed as part of the you’re-going-to-get-hit-by-a-car attraction and one of the actual walls of the building.  It was a dark and vacant little hiding spot.

When I crouched down, I just could just barely squeeze into the space and scoot far enough back that I could see out, but I couldn’t be seen.  When a group came to the final stretch of the fear factory, I would hear the car horn, see the headlights and get ready.  I’d hear people screaming, a few gasped and then laughed, one or two were startled, but did their best to hide it. 

   
Inevitably, they’d stand there and stare at the car that had almost hit them and admire the set-up while getting their heartbeat back to a normal level.  They leave the last staged scary scene, heading towards the exit which is clearly in sight, and I would let out this piercing, bloodcurdling scream that went on for as long as I could hold it.

I got a big kick out of watching people jump about two feet in the air.  Even people who knew about the car ahead of time or for whatever reason weren’t really startled by that were genuinely flipped out when they heard a real live, full-fledged scream coming from very close by.

People would look around and ask where that had come from, but I’d never come out while they were still inside the building.  It was funny, because the guides knew what was on the tour, but they didn’t know about me hiding and screaming at the end, and they couldn’t see me, either, so they were startled as well the first time through with a group after I took up my new post.

  
At the end of the night, one of the Jaycees asked if he could videotape me doing what I had been doing throughout the evening for each group even after I started losing my voice (which probably made it sound even more frightening).  I let him record me screaming my head off from my little hiding spot.  It was long enough ago that I’m not too worried about it showing up on Youtube.

What's really funny is I got to count my time there as part of my community service hours for the month.  I'm not quite sure the community would have considered it a service, but I was participating in one of their major fundraisers.    

I never knew I’d have fun working in a haunted house, but that year I had a blast!

Parlez-vous français? Mais, oui!

I couldn’t resist the opportunity to have some fun with French.  Since I took French from fifth grade through college, and I spent an academic school year my junior year at Hollins studying in Paris, France, I offered to have some conversations in French with my sister before she went back to Burkina Faso (where she’s studying West African dance this month).  She wanted to brush up on the basics and learn some key phrases that wouldn’t likely be in a textbook.

    
I began with one of the few things Kevin learned to say in French before he came over to visit me:

Est-ce que tu m’épouseras?          Will you marry me?

   
This was not my response when he asked, but is one I suggested for my sister to use if it turns out to be a more appropriate answer in her circumstances.

Non, ma mѐre va me tuer.    No, my mother will kill me.

    
Actually, when Kevin said, “Je t’aime du fond de mon coeur Patricia Niermeyer.  Est-ce que tu m'épouseras?” He was down on one knee with a ring box in his hand which by itself got me crying so hard I hadn’t heard him.  He looked at me, waiting for my answer, and I looked at him not having heard the question.  He asked quietly, “Did I say it wrong?”  I told him, “I didn’t hear you.”  He laughed and asked again.  I said yes and gave him a big hug and a kiss.  I was thrilled!! 

This phrase I thought of because it’s a pretty cool French song that we learned when I took a French music course in college.  I still listen to the CD sometimes.
“Je crois que ça va pas être possible."    I believe that will not be possible.

These I included because they'd probably be useful: 

Dégage-toi!      Free me!  Let me go!

Aidez-moi!        Help me!

Je dois allez aux toilettes.       I need to use the toilet/go to the restroom.

Où se trouvent les toilettes?  Where is the restroom?

J’ai mal (à + le, la, or, les, l’) _____________                        My   _________________ hurts.

Combined becomes (au, à la, aux, à l’)                                           (part of the body)

    

J’ai soif.                I’m thirsty.

J’ai faim.               I’m hungry.

J’ai assez mangé.     I’ve had enough to eat/have eaten enough.

Never say: Je suis pleine.  (word for word translates to I’m full, but in French means I’m pregnant unless, of course, that’s what you mean to say.)

Je suis fatigué.        I’m tired.

J’ai chaud.              I’m feeling warm/hot.

J’ai froid.                I’m feeling cold/cool.

J’ai perdu…mon billet, ma carte de crédit…                I lost…my ticket, my credit card…

     I hope this has been a fun learning experience for you.  

Road Trip & Spring Dance Festival

Road Trip Destination: Columbus, Ohio

   This past weekend I was often fondly reminded of my college friends and the amazing dancers I saw and got to know while attending Hollins University (way back when).  My mom and I went up to Columbus, Ohio, to visit my youngest sister and be there for The Ohio State University Spring Dance Festival.

 
I’d felt bad it’d been almost three years since I’d seen my sister in a performance, especially after going to each one of her dance recitals, many of her dress rehearsals, dance competitions, musical revue’s, and such when she was growing up.  Granted, it wasn’t usually an eight hour commute to get to the other shows she was in from Pre-K through high school, but still.  Being in the audience has been one of the ways that I’ve shown her my love and support.

     
The Ohio State University Spring Dance Festival gave me the perfect opportunity to see some of the OSU campus, witness some of what the dance department’s been up to, watch my sister perform, and see a site-specific piece she directed with her friend. 

All in Good Taste

   I got a taste for the dance department and community at OSU, and I must say I’m very impressed.  I figured I would be and have been looking forward to seeing some awe-inspiring choreography and performance art. 

 
I spent time with Mom and sister, met her apartment mates, three gorgeous women who are also dance majors and fun people to hang out with (like my sister).  I finally got to see some of the OSU campus, some of her preferred stomping grounds, and hot spots in Columbus. 

             
              On Friday, Mom and I checked into our hotel, then we picked my sister up from a rehearsal on campus and headed back to their apartment for a bit.  That evening, we went to the 8pm performance made up of five pieces choreographed by the seniors in the dance department for their mixing dance and media projects.  My sister was in a piece entitled “Staring at the Sun” choreographed by Quentin Burley and Madeline Irmen. 

 
After the Friday night performance at the EMMA Lab at ACCAD, my sister, three of her close friends, Mom, and I went to Spagiō’s for dinner and dessert.  My mom and I shared a tomato basil pizza that was absolutely delectable.  The gourmet dessert with a chocolate-coated exterior, toffee, mocha pudding, and yummy squiggles of chocolate and raspberry sauces for added zest is one I do believe I’ll have to order again.   

Not a School for the Directionally Challenged (like I am!)

   I can say with absolute certainty that I would get undeniably lost trying to find my way around such a sprawling campus.  My mom’s been there a number of times, and she got turned around occasionally.  I remained perpetually in a state of not knowing where the heck I was in relation to any other building, Theresa’s apartment, or our hotel.  Fortunately, Mom did all of the driving when we were up there, so we may have taken the longest possible route back to our hotel a couple times, but we never ended up in the ghetto of another state (which is all-too-likely to happen when I’m driving). 

Being there affirmed once again that a small liberal arts college with a strong sense of community and a beautiful rural campus were the best fit for me.  I would have felt incredibly lost, lonely, and insignificant going to school on one of the biggest college campuses in the country.  Hollins was the right place for me.  My sister has thoroughly enjoyed going to OSU.  I’m grateful we both found places of higher education to fit our personalities, tastes, and to help us grow in the intellectual and artistic passions we have.