muse 006: the beyond edition

BEYOND THE BUBBLE 07 | BUILDING THE RWANDA LIBRARY 10 | LESSONS FROM INDIA 29 | DARING TO DREAM BIG 40 THE BEYOND EDITION

MAY 2012 | A STUDENT PUBLICATION

STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS

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Muse is an online student publication that is a collaborative effort between Multnomah University’s 2011-12 Journalism Department and the Student Government Communications Department.

The content published in Muse does not necessarily represent the opinions of the wider Multnomah University community or administration.

If you have questions, would like to contribute to Muse, or would like to publish an ad, please e-mail [email protected].

Aaron Esparza | [email protected]

Cornelia Seigneur | [email protected]

Kristen Leach | [email protected]

Gian Cook | [email protected]

Tiina Mall | [email protected]

Kristen Leach, Tiina Mall, and Gian Cook

Brittany Kramberg, Chris Hansen, Deanna Voss, Hannah Jensen, Janelle Gregory, Jamie Fowler, Jesse Califf, Joshua Shaw, Miki Gao, Sarah Jones, and Shaun Stevenson

Aaron Esparza, Brent Looyenga, Brenda Hofer, Cornelia Seigneur, Michael Choi, and Natalie Polk

Liz Clark

Michael Choi

Liz Clark

John Lucas

MUSE EDITOR

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR & FACULTY ADVISOR

FEATURES EDITOR

INSIDE MU EDITOR

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

REPORTERS

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

PHOTOGRAPHERS

DESIGN DIRECTOR

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

BLOG DESIGNER

COVER PHOTO PHOTOGRAPHER

MAY 2012 | MUSE 006: THE BEYOND EDITION | A STUDENT PUBLICATION

CONTENTS | MAY 2012 | MUSE 006: THE BEYOND EDITION

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PERSPECTIVE07 BEYOND THE BUBBLE | SHAUN STEVENSON Getting outside hallowed halls to where real people live

22 YOGA & CHRISTIANS? | BRITTANY KRAMBERG Is yoga just stretching or should Christians be wary of this Eastern practice?

29 LESSONS FROM INDIA | SARAH JONES Life is ultimately about Christ and trusting Him to use us

32 FROM STUDENT TO TEACHER | LIZ CLARK Graduating senior prepares for motherhood and training up the next generation

40 DARING TO DREAM BIG | DEANNA VOSS It’s better to try and fail than to never have tried at all

49 HOW TO KILL PRIDE | JESSE CALIFF Thoughts on joy now and not yet

ARTS & CULTURE50 THE ARTS’ SPICE ROAD | TIINA MALL Beyond the gallery, book, and show: the creative expression of self

53 BEAUTIFUL RESPONSE: NOTHING IS WASTED | STUDENTS Photo collage of MU student’s artwork from 2012 Beautiful Response

63 THE HOPE OF HIS CALLING | MIKI GAO Ruthlessly trusting by releasing grip into God’s hands

64 REMEMBER ME V | BRITTANY KRAMBERG Chapter 4: the death of Orfeo

65 DREAMS | JAMIE FOWLER Poem about an MU student giving over dreams to God

66 FROM GLORY TO GLORY | AARON ESPARZA & MICHAEL CHOI Imagination concept

74 2012 SPRING THAW | AARON ESPARZA Photo collage of MU’s Spring Thaw event

THE BEYOND EDITION

PHOTO BY BEAU STUMBERG

05 THE BEYOND: LETTER FROM THE EDITOR | AARON ESPARZA Editor questions the line between redeeming culture and becoming like the world

92 RAISING CHILDREN AND BIRTHING A MAGAZINE | CORNELIA SEIGNEUR A daughter’s marriage, Muse Magazine, and The Beyond

FEATURES10 BUILDING THE LIBRARY | AARON ESPARZA Kigali, Rwanda: getting beyond the books

42 LIVING BEYOND THE GRAVE | CHRIS HANSEN Reflecting on loss and remembering with monuments

45 THE GOOD NEIGHBOR | HANNAH JENSEN Beyond the call of duty: an overview of Day of Outreach

INSIDE MU12 MEMES MEMES EVERYWHERE | SHEA LAYTON New Facebook page features Multnomah-themed memes

14 BEYOND WINTER | BRENDA HOFER Photo collage of Multnomah’s spring flowers

20 BEYOND THE COURT, BEYOND THE GLORY | GIAN COOK MU Lions give back to community by playing hoops with hospitalized kids

24 SO...WHAT NEXT? | KRISTEN LEACH Graduating seniors answer the dreaded question

34 FUTURE FUTURE MULTNOMAH STUDENTS | CORNELIA SEIGNEUR Photo collage of Multnomah’s future PHOTO BY AARON ESPARZA

STAFF & CONTRIBUTORS | PHOTOS: LOOYENGAPHOTOGRAPHY.COM

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MUSE STAFF & CONTRIBUTORSSTAFF PHOTOS BY BRENT LOOYENGA

Contributing authors not pictured:

Brenda Hofer

Brittany Kramberg

Chris Hansen

Deanna Voss

Hannah Jensen

Janelle Gregory

Jamie Fowler

Jesse Califf

Joshua Shaw

Miki Gao

Sarah Jones

Shaun Stevenson

Shea Layton

INSIDE MU EDITOR GIAN COOK ARTS & CULTURE TIINA MALL

DESIGN DIRECTOR LIZ CLARK ARTISTIC DIRECTOR MICHAEL CHOI EDITOR AARON ESPARZA

FEATURES EDITOR KRISTEN LEACHEDITORIAL DIRECTOR/FACULTY ADVISOR CORNELIA SEIGNEUR

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

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Physical. Mental. Spiritual. These are the worlds that we can come to know. Physically, beyond ourselves is the potential of what we could do physically. Beyond the mental is our future knowledge and understandings. What is beyond the spiritual is

simply beyond me.

Out of all the articles, my biggest interest was drawn into the discussion of yoga. I’ve been previously interested in many eastern practices and new age ideas and understanding our place as Christians in this changing and post-modern world. Experiencing exorcisms and understanding the roots of where demonic activity comes from, I’ve learned that not everything is simply physical alone. And I am having a hard time believing that we can do physical acts and make them solely good based on our own simple intentions of the heart.

I think of the book of Daniel and the bowing down to the golden idol. The physical act of getting on your knees in worship cannot be explained away as “worshipping Yahweh” no matter what the intention of your heart is. The

buddies of Daniel knew that they could not simply say, “I do the physical act of bowing and make my intentions to worship Yahweh and partake in this cultural practice.”

And in Exodus 32, Aaron said, “This is your God, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt” (32:4). He was referring to the golden calf created out of the gold brought out of Egypt. He was unsure where the fellow Moses has gone and perhaps decided to depend on his self to bring a benefit, most specifically saving his skin. As a consequence, this golden calf that Aaron made while Moses was on the mountain brought death because of how jealous our God is for our love. God stated that the people have become corrupt in verse 7.

And I question what is the line between redeeming culture and becoming like the world, becoming like all men so that I may save some (1 Cor. 9:22)? What is the line of keeping our bodies healthy and finding stress relief and doing a physical practice that may not be honoring for God, no matter what our intention may be. In this logic, I would wonder when redeeming practices like tarot cards, palm reading, horoscopes, sufi whirling, and even haitian voodoo dance rituals into Christian practices will become popular.

After this 6th edition is done, I’ll be graduating with my double major from Multnomah University. It’s been quite the journey starting

the Muse from scratch and looking in hindsight at this point. As the team grew and more responsibilities discovered and empowered towards others, we realize there is so much more we can grow and learn.

This is the last time as Editor for Muse Magazine, and the baton is being passed to another whom I wish will carry on what has been created and pushed past our expectations. I have dreams of one day becoming someone to engage all aspects of cultures around the world and bring peace to this world by means of conflict resolution. Because this world needs more people to stand in the gap and mediate and stand for the cause of justice, for Christ was the ultimate Mediator to us. In His sacrifice and death, He brought life. And I rejoice in that. I am happy because I don’t need to fix myself up to go to Him for satisfaction. He is my provider and redeemer. He is my stress relief.

–Aaron Esparza is a senior Communication Studies major.

THE BEYONDLETTER FROM THE EDITOR

BY AARON ESPARZAPHOTO BY BRENT LOOYENGA

“...I question what is the line between redeeming culture and becoming like the world...”

FEATURE | STUDENT

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PHOTO BY MICHAEL CHOI

PERSPECTIVE | UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

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I shook as I stepped out of my hatchback and onto the Portland Community College’s Rock Creek campus. This was it. Large buildings circled a courtyard filled with people and tables and chairs. Smoke drifted through the air, puffed

from cigarettes and pipes. Women with low-cut blouses and striking tattoos over their chests slouched against stone pillars. I heard the word “sex,” and laughter echoed up from a group of guys by the fountain.

And all I could think was, What have I gotten myself into?

See, I was one of those kids: the kind that grows up in the church nursery, moves on to Big Kid’s Church, and sits faithfully beside

BY SHAUN STEVENSON

GETTING OUTSIDE HALLOWED HALLS TO WHERE REAL PEOPLE LIVE

his parents throughout elementary, middle, and high school. I started Christian school in seventh grade and graduated five years later.

All day, every day, I was surrounded by people calling themselves Christians. People who said all the right things, did the right things, and never stepped into anything remotely outside God’s dictated moral code. Okay, well, maybe there was that one nursery incident I vaguely remembered hearing about. Or the one time that girl mouthed off to the teacher in eighth grade. Little tiny things – according to me.

I was afraid of people who weren’t Christians. I thought they were ready to pounce down my throat, scratch out my eyeballs, and make me recant anything I said about God. And now I was practically swimming through a sea of them at community college.

Rushing through the glass doors, I hurried to room 203, slipped inside, and hunkered down in my seat while shoving my backpack in front

of me. Maybe I could just barricade myself into the corner and hope that this terrible nightmare would fade away.

Anxious students silently fingered pencils a few minutes past the hour. Then a woman burst into the room. She had a large satchel over her shoulder – orange and yellow, if I remember right. Her reddish-brown hair swept past her face as she turned and grinned at us. “Where’s the light switches?”

The bag dropped from her shoulder and she fingered the wall until she connected with a large panel. On. Off. On. She flicked the lights around until a weird sort of half-lit dimness finally fell over the room. “That’s it.” She walked to the front and sat down. “All right. Let’s do this. You’re all here for Creative Writing, right? What is it, 241?”

Someone nodded.

“Well, I’m Liz. Pull out a paper and a pen.” She

THE BUBBLEBEYOND


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threw a pointed finger in my direction. “Don’t let me catch you with a pencil.”

I nodded. And pulled out a pen. And paper. And we all wrote.

We wrote what we were thinking, what we were afraid of, and what had us worried. So, I spilled everything on the page – how I was freaking out about being there, about people who weren’t the same as me, and about not wanting to interact at all.

As we went around the room and read our thoughts to the class of 14 students plus one teacher, I heard other fears. The girl who was afraid her dad might kick her out because her boyfriend had gotten her pregnant. Or the guy who was deathly afraid of sharing his thoughts to anyone. Or the older lady unsure if anyone would accept her as a real student. Or Liz, who was wondering if we would like her at all.

We were all afraid of things and we all had the same sorts of hopes and joys.

Immediately, something changed. I had been living inside a comfortable place with couches, ready for anyone who looked or acted like me to come and sit down and stay for a while. But I never opened my doors to anyone who wasn’t part of my Christian bubble.

Over the course of that term, I grew to like the people around me. Soon, it didn’t matter what sort of baggage they had or who they were. They were all people created by God and loved by Him. And if I truly wanted to be real, living out what I said I believed, I realized I needed to love these people and go beyond the cage – beyond the fear – and into a place where I could love and be loved.

Looking back now, I am grateful for my time within those – at first – foreign walls. I learned wildly different views from teachers, and befriended other students I would never have dared to talk to. Now, as I sit here at Multnomah, I’m glad God took me through

a time and place where I’ve seen how fragile people are. We all need someone to step out from his or her “comfortable place with couches” and genuinely extend a hand to those who love Jesus and even to those who hate Him with everything they have.

Jesus seems like He’s that kind of person: someone who’s willing to share life with anyone – from tax collectors to prostitutes to uppity Pharisees. And through it all, Jesus

walked around, shattering bubbles and caste systems. And every day, I ask God to help me. I want to have that kind of love. And I want to be that kind of person. And that person is someone who loves beyond their bubble.

–Shaun Stevenson is a sophomore Youth Ministry major.

“We were all afraid of things and we all had the same sorts of hopes and joys.”

PHOTO BY AARON ESPARZA

Introducing the new

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The final stack of boxes slid off the dolly and into the cramped office.

“I think the stacks we just picked up will be worth about $1000 total,” Dr. Garry Friesen said with a grin outside of his office in the Upper Sutcliffe

administration building. Ten full boxes of books were donated from Central Bible Church on May 1st for Dr. Friesen’s ambitious goal of 20,000 books for this year.

Last year, a Kigali team raised enough support to donate over 15,000 books to a Bible college in Rwanda called the Africa College of Theology. Four students (including me) and Dr. Friesen are calling ourselves the “Kigali Kompletion Team” because we are heading back there to work within the library, which is now almost built. We are being trained to catalog the remaining thousands of books to the Library of Congress in order to complete the process, and train 10 Rwandans to run the library.

However, not everyone would agree with such practices. Allowing my “western” influences into third world countries is an idea that some

would consider bad. As I scrolled and read a news article of the Kigali team from 2010 in the Oregonian online, one anonymous poster stated in regards to the team, “These places could use less western religion. We got them in this mess in the first place. Send them a book with something useful in it.”

This one statement does not stand alone. Our worldviews will always be interacting and weaving with other worldviews, and our cultural influence becomes a winding river based on how much of someone else’s water is pushing the current towards a path. Secular society can be very quick to state their starting point of reasoning: “Don’t force your beliefs onto other people. What’s true for you may not be true for me.” But what if someone needs help and we have the resources to provide?

James 2:14 states, “Dear brothers, what’s the use of saying that you have faith and are Christians if you aren’t proving it by helping others? Will that kind of faith save anyone?”

To the skeptic, they may ask if we are simply enabling a poor country to keep living poor. But this mission isn’t about tossing a few coins. It’s providing for a need. As time passes, the civilized world is in less need of paperback books. Rather than turning into dust on a bookshelf, institutions in impoverished countries are in such need of resources (especially greek lexicons and other language

tools if it’s a theological institution). And so, after the genocides in Rwanda, there is much recovering to do.

This little team will be leaving for Kilgali July 1 and staying until July 13, with hopes of bringing enough supplies and offering labor to keep the library going for one year until another team can come again to repeat the process. It’s like we are watering and fertilizing a seed until it is able to grow on its own.

And for the children, I know that not all the books we are sending are dictionaries and atlases.

“Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him,” says Maya Angelou, an accomplished African-American author and poet. And as we seek to empower the area of Rwanda, we hope that the library will continue to be an influential force for decades to come.

–Aaron Esparza is a senior Communication Studies major.

BY AARON ESPARZAPHOTO BY NATALIE POLK

Kigali, Rwanda: Getting Beyond the BooksBUILDING THE LIBRARY

“Four students...and Dr. Friesen are calling ourselves the ‘Kigali Kompletion Team’ because we are heading back to work within the library...”

INSIDE MU | UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

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MEMES MEMES EVERYWHERE

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them admins, but as soon as they took an arrow to the notifications, they gave up the adventure and left me forever alone. It’s okay though, I’m a’ firin’ mah lazer just fine on my own.

The reactions to Multnomah memes have generally been a roflcopter trip. Some act as though they’ve seen a double rainbow. Others get offended by a meme and ask me to kill it with fire. Some professors have said “I’m 50 years old and what is this?” I have to explain how memes are climin’ in yo windows, and the professors usually think it all seems legit. One professor acted quite TENSO about a meme referencing him, and trolled his class into thinking he was upset. They couldn’t tell that it’s a trap and the cake is a lie. Most people just tell me funny memes are funny. Good thing it isn’t you laugh, you lose.

One of the first world problems of the Multnomah meme page is that some people don’t understand memes much more than anyone understands magnets. I have to remind them that one does not simply caption a picture and call it a meme. Also, Millhouse is not a meme. The submissions can be full of derps and they just go “Close enough.” It makes me not want to live on this planet anymore. A lot make me facepalm and I have to express: DO NOT WANT. They want me to disregard that they suck at memes, but thankfully, sometimes the meme just needs more cowbell. Even if U MAD, I have to barrel roll out and let them have a “Nope. Chuck Testa.” Sometimes they are disappoint, but haters gonna hate.

Someday, we may have over 9,000 memes. I know Multnomah memes are not my personal army, but I’ll keep trying to have some quality standards. U jelly? I’d rather not have people shouting “Lame memes? In my meme meme page?” I’d also like you to know, unless you’re a honey badger, that you can upload memes to the site, too! Just search MU Memes on Facebook and send one via message like a boss. Unless

NEW FACEBOOK PAGE FEATURES MULTNOMAH-THEMED MEMES

Note: underlined text are actual memes.

So I herd u leik memes? Well, if you are pronouncing them like “themes,” then a winner is you. But some ask, “Memes? What is this I don’t even?” Don’t worry, I’m from the internet, and I’ll

tell you about them for great justice, and why you don’t have to go LOLWUT to Multnomah Memes.

Because the internet is serious business, we have to go to the dictionary to learn that a meme is “an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture.” Specifically, however, we are talking about internet memes, which are generally consistent jokes that people do for the lulz on the series of tubes. They often falcon punch humor at everyday issues or specific cultural topics. I’ve known about memes for a long time because I’m kind of a socially awkward penguin.

One day I was thinking about how my procrastination says “Can’t let you do that, Star Fox” to my desire to attend ALL the chapels, and I realized I could make this into a meme for the Multnomah Facebook group to send people on a lollercoaster. Challenge accepted. So I sent those students a meme; students love memes. Shortly after, the group had memes, memes everywhere, and I realized we needed a specific meme page to hold all the me gusta.

Suddenly, memes, thousands of them. It was a constant nyan, nyan, nyan of memes pouring in from students. People were shoop da whooping pics so fast, I had to yell “LEROY JENKINS” and dive in to posting them all. Some friends said “Y U NO HAVE HELP?” and I made

BY SHEA LAYTONALL MEMES FOUND ON THE FACEBOOK PAGE

MEMES MEMES EVERYWHEREyou are so confused you are asking how to shot web, you can make them easily on sites like zipmeme.com. Your memes can be in our meme page, killing our d00dz as long as you don’t accidentally the whole thing. In the meantime, I’ll be drinking your milkshake and dancing like it’s peanut butter jelly time. Cool story, bro?

–Shea Layton is a junior Psychology major.

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BEYOND WINTER

PHOTOS BY BRENDA HOFER

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Multnomah’s basketball team accomplished a lot on the court this season; they scored many points, they won hard fought games, they had players get voted to All-American teams and they performed admirably in postseason play. Did I

mention they shot many threes?

The team performed well and the players represented Multnomah University and Christ in a reputable manner on the court; the team did not tally up technical fouls or demonstrate any form of disrespect toward their opponents, but rather treated the opposing team as honorably as they could. There were even shared meals with their opponents following a game.

After the season ended, Coach Curt Bickley and Senior Brent Looyenga assembled a group of players that were willing to participate in sports ministry. Kevin Coverson, Jackson Flah, Steve Bustrin, Daniel Aguilar, Mike Kamlade (who is the brother of the great Nikolas Kamlade), Erik Mendoza, Matt Johnson, and I volunteered to serve in this ministry.

The sports ministry entails serving at Providence Child Center, a hospital for disabled children, by spending time with the kids, helping with various tasks during Spring Thaw, and running a basketball camp for kids living on an Indian reservation in Washington.

Every Wednesday from 4:30 to 6 p.m. the basketball team ministry ventured to Providence to hang out with the kids. For about an hour each week, team members were able to bless the children with a light-hearted, enjoyable time by playing games and interacting with the kids. And the kids were able to bless the players with their innocent appreciation and gratefulness, seen in their smiles and shrieks of rejoice.

“My little girl at the children’s hospital blesses made my week every time I got to see her. She blesses me, said Mendoza, a sophomore guard. “It was fun getting to hang out with the kids,”

noted Bustrin, a sophomore point guard. “Being able to be here with these kids who can’t do the things that normal kids do is cool. It was a real blessing to be able to see these kids being excited to hang out with us. I enjoyed every moment of it.”

And, on April 27th, the basketball ministry ventured to White Swan High School on the Yakima Indian Reservation in Yakima County, Washington to conduct a basketball camp for elementary students in the local school district. The team promoted the camp on the 27th by going to different schools and personally inviting kids to come to the basketball camp the following day.

At the camp, the basketball ministry players were able to teach between 50 and 70 kids the game of basketball through fun games and drills.

“We took the kids through various dribbling drills, and shooting drills,” said Coverson, who is a freshman point guard. “The kids really loved it. Although my group won most of the games, I think all the kids had a great time.”

The basketball team ministry was also able to

assist Rob Hildebrande during Spring Thaw. The players were given the task of maintaining the efficiency and cleanliness of the kitchen as well as run the concession stands during the concerts and breaks.

In ‘Bickley-era’ of MU basketball, the basketball team has consistently run a sports ministry every year, never failing to serve the whomever they are called to serve.

The MU Lion’s have been able to represent Christ in their lives and MU, not only on the court, but off the floor as well; they’ve shown love and have been loved just by playing basketball.

“I think we’ve shown that we aren’t just about shooting threes and having a good time,” said Aguilar, a freshman forward. “We have been able to show that we are very willing and capable of serving others for the Lord.”

Being members of the basketball team doesn’t limit these players’ ability to serve; they chose to go beyond the court and serve others in need, and be blessed in return.

–Gian Cook is a junior Journalism major.

BY GIAN COOKPHOTO BY AARON ESPARZA BEYOND THE COURT

BEYOND THE GLORYMU LIONS GIVE BACK TO COMMUNITY BY PLAYING HOOPS WITH HOSPITALIZED KIDS

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BEYOND THE COURT BEYOND THE GLORYMU LIONS GIVE BACK TO COMMUNITY BY PLAYING HOOPS WITH HOSPITALIZED KIDS


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Personally, I love yoga. Without recognizing it as a religious practice, I’ve taken classes and tried various styles, each one presenting me with various challenges. But these challenges are not only towards how I view my body, but also

towards my personal beliefs.

I first started yoga in high school when I found a book about it and tried the poses. After this, I found someone who practiced yoga and joined them. The yoga style I started with is called Hatha Yoga, which is a basis for many of the other yoga styles.

Being relatively easy to learn, Hatha Yoga mixes meditation, breathing, and posturing to achieve the self-realization of being more aware of your body and how the state of your mind can affect it. Used for stress relief, panic disorders, migraines, physical therapy, and other various ailments in the U.S., it has become pretty popularized. While in high school, I found it helped me manage my stress and warm up and cool-down after workouts.

In addition, working on my breathing in Hatha enhanced my ability in sports such as swimming and soccer, and helped me with breath-control in my vocal lessons.

BY BRITTANY KRAMBERGPHOTO BY AARON ESPARZA

YOGA & CHRISTIANS?

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Is yoga just stretching or should Christians be wary of this Eastern practice?

Curious about Yoga’s roots, I began to explore other Eastern beliefs extensively. The history of yoga led me to study Hinduism and the many gods and goddesses in various Asian cultures.

In my studies, I found myself drawn to the idea of demons – evil spiritual forces not of God. In some Asian cultures, demons are not always viewed as bad or evil, and that idea fascinated me. But I stopped doing yoga for a while because I knew I was falling into dangerous territory.

After a while, I began to miss it. It was an exercise I enjoyed. Waking up and doing it was something that made me feel focused for the day. It helped my knees get better when I was in sports. So then I wondered how I could continue without getting into the various spiritual territories I had explored before. I wanted the physical/mental benefits without the Eastern spirituality.

Slowly I went back to Hatha, but I excluded meditation. I realized meditation would not end well for me because of how I got too attracted to demonic ideas and practices during that time.

When I entered college at Lower Columbia College, I took a class on a yoga style called ISHTA, which stands for “Integral Science of Hatha and Tantric Arts.” This style also had some meditation in it, but we didn’t usually meditate in class. It was Americanized into a workout, so we just stretched and went through postures.

In ISHTA, there are various poses which have a purpose to open the body to energy channeling. This was a practice called opening your chakras, which are defined as gateways to provide self benefits to your own body. Though in this style we did not do a lot of meditation (using chants and repeating mantras in the poses), but we did use visualization. In ISHTA we visualized our bodies moving in our mind and/or visualizing our different energy channels or chakras opening up. These sessions usually lasted around 15 or so minutes as a warm up or cool-down. Honestly, I am unsure what I think of this visualization practice. I found this as more of something rather than spiritual but mental. Just like a rock climber who visualizes his plan before attempting a climb. I see it as

simply mental preparedness before doing a task. So as of now, I have yet to find a problem with it, but I do avoid meditation because of the danger I realized for myself.

To conclude, however it’s done, the person should use yoga depending not only on their personality but also on how they approach this practice. If you go and practice yoga, ask yourself if you are looking for some kind of fulfillment that only God can give or for a way to become healthy. Do you view it as practicing an ancient religion or simply as stretching and working the body God has blessed you with?

Like much of what we engage in our daily lives, it truly does depend on the attitude you approach yoga with and what kind of yoga you go after. I believe some yoga practices are more dangerous than others. Be careful when mediating, be aware of what the mantras mean and what you are saying, and focus yoga more on the workout rather than the religious practice.

SHOULD CHRISTIANS DO YOGA?• Yes: 15 students• No: 5 Students• Depends on type: 7 students

RESPONSE BY SHAUN STEVENSON I once took a theater class, where the instructor had us working on some basic yoga stances before we began acting. At first I kind of squinted at the teacher, wondering what I should even do with something like this.

I had heard those church sorts of whispers: “Yoga! That’s one of the devil’s playgrounds!” and didn’t know how to respond.

The teacher started showing us the first stance, encouraging us to empty our minds and try to meditate on the peace in the emptiness.

I thought of Colossians 3:2. “Set your mind on things above, not on the things that are on earth.” So while everyone else was working on emptying their minds, I decided to redeem what we were doing and take the time to pray and instead focus on God.

It actually ended up being something I looked forward to – spending that time really talking with

God and praying for the people in the class, the teacher, and for myself: to be a faithful witness.

Why shouldn’t we find ways to redeem pieces of culture? Redeem things like yoga for God. Find the way to redeem film, stories, games, activities, and use them to reach others for Christ. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:22, “I have become all things to all men, so that I may by all means save some.”

–Shaun Stevenson is a sophomore Youth Ministry major.

RESPONSE BY JOSHUA SHAW Because yoga is so deeply connected to Hinduism, I would say it is wrong and dangerous for Christians to partake in yoga. Yoga consists of prayer positions to invoke various Hindu gods. Hindus recognize the connection between the body and the spirit and uses yoga as a way to enhance the body through the spiritual. Regardless of the intentions of a believer partaking in yoga, they still are partaking in prayer positions to demons.

Consider Haitian voodoo. In Haitian voodoo, they will gather around and dance while someone place specific beats on a drum to invoke demons to come and possess them. Without the drum and the dance, you cannot have voodoo. In order to hide these practices, African slaves mixed Catholicism with voodoo because the penalty of such practices is death.

Today, the evangelical Church in Haiti is suffering from this synchronism with voodoo mixing in the common practices. Now would it be right for a Christian to learn this dance and dance to the same drum beat? If no, then why would it be any different than yoga?

We serve a true and living God who is jealous for us. We should never partake in demonic practices to worship H im.

1 Corinthians 10:20-21 states, “Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons.”

–Joshua Shaw is a freshman Pastoral major.

INSIDE MU | UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

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GRADUATING SENIORS ANSWER THE DREADED QUESTION“So...what’s next?”

The End. I’m through with that concept. I’m tired of dreading the ending of a beautiful season of my life, when there is so much to look forward to! A beginning is just that...everything to look ahead to. As I close this chapter of my life, I wait in eager anticipation of the beginning that is starting after I walk across that stage.

The following are a few of the new beginnings that my fellow graduates are taking. I wish you all who are taking leaps into a new chapter all the hopes and dreams for your adventurous beginning.

BY KRISTEN LEACH AND TIINA MALLPHOTOS BY AARON ESPARZA

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GRADUATING SENIORS ANSWER THE DREADED QUESTION“So...what’s next?”

MICAH DAMANENGLISH MINOR & PSYCHOLOGY MINOR

“I’m entering into the MAT program here at Multnomah.

“Coming to Multnomah, I thought I would go into some sort of counseling. Now I want to teach.“

JOHN (J.C.) CAMPOSPASTORAL MAJOR

“Working at a middle school youth ministry at a Calvary Chapel in Lake Arrowhead, Southern California.“

INSIDE MU | UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

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JEFF HARRISGREEK MAJOR

“I will be interning at a church in Vancouver and getting married to Jessica Prewitt on August 11th. I hope to teach Greek or Bible one day.“

DEANNA VOSSENGLISH MINOR

“Two days after I graduate, I’m leaving for Uganda to work with Agape Children’s Village.

“After that, I’ll be following another dream in moving to California to live and look for a job. I’ve always wanted to move back to California, so if I do (find a job), I did it and if I don’t, at least I tried!”

AMBER BAINBIBLE & THEOLOGY MAJOR

“I’m joining the ranks who are finding a job.

When I first came to Multnomah, I was focused on becoming a teacher. I now want to go into a field working with science and chemistry.”

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AMBER BAINBIBLE & THEOLOGY MAJOR

“I’m joining the ranks who are finding a job.

When I first came to Multnomah, I was focused on becoming a teacher. I now want to go into a field working with science and chemistry.”

SKY HENDERSONGREEK MAJOR, HEBREW MAJOR, & ENGLISH MINOR

“In first coming to Multnomah, I thought I would be going into Journalism. But I’m marrying the beautiful Jessica Osborne, and will be interning at a children’s ministry at a church in Vancouver.”

BRIAN GINGERICHGREEK MAJOR

“I’m definitely getting married (on September 21st).

“And I hope to go into a ministry or farther schooling. If it were completely up to me, I’d get a Masters, studying theology or Greek.”


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“For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.” 2 Corinthians 4:5

At its core, ministry is really about our participation in God’s Kingdom, not about

our own greatness or impact. Jesus is the Savior; we are His disciples and ambassadors. While we know this cognitively, it is easy to get wrapped up in ourselves as we devote our time and hearts to a particular ministry. Without realizing it, our “service” becomes about how we’re going to save the world. At least it can be that way for me.

Last semester, I taught at an international boarding school in South India. This fulfilled my TESOL practicum requirements and gave me more hands-on experience in teaching, ministering to students, and living cross culturally than I’d had in my first three years of college combined. I went over with anticipation and an open heart, eager to be used by God in the lives of those I would be teaching.

Within the first week of classes, I had already grown to care deeply for the elementary and middle school students I worked with. Representing around ten different countries, these students were diverse and engaging. Behind each expression – whether it was sweet, suspecting, mischievous, or lonely – I knew there was a unique story and precious heart. I couldn’t wait to get to know them better.

As the semester went on, I struggled to find my

place as both a teacher and a friend. I needed to maintain authority in the classroom, yet I also wanted my students to know that I cared about them as people, beyond simply their grades and behavior in class. How could I best communicate my love – Christ’s love through me – in my role as a teacher? There was a distance created by my title of “Miss” and the little bow of respect my Thai and Korean students would give me in greeting. I wanted

nothing more than for the gap to be bridged and for my students to open up to me.

It wasn’t long before this desire and prayer was answered. I guess after a while, the students realized I really cared and decided to trust me. Little by little, they shared more of themselves with me. This was what I had been praying for! Time to bring out the gospel and change some lives, right?

But before I knew it, I was wishing I could retract those prayers for honesty and insight into my students’ lives. I was completely unprepared for the depth of hurt contained in the young hearts of these boys and girls.

I was not ready to hear of physical abuse, horrific family splits, spirit possession, destroyed homes, and thoughts of suicide. My heart broke with each story as I saw pain in my students’ eyes and heard it betrayed in their voices.

Even more overwhelming than the pain was my feeling of utter helplessness. The more I tried to love and help – the more I tried to minister – the more I realized how little I could actually do.

According to the school counselor, there was no effective action to be taken against the abusive parent. All I could do was encourage and love the wounded daughter. I prayed daily for spiritual freedom for my students, but they still kept their spirits’ names and charms. I could do nothing to stop the floods from destroying the homes of my Thai students. And no matter how much encouragement, affirmation, or love I gave one of the girls struggling with depression, I could not turn her thoughts from suicide. I shared the gospel often in different ways and prayed earnestly, but I saw no results.

BY SARAH JONESPHOTOS BY SARAH JONES

LIFE IS ULTIMATELY ABOUT CHRIST AND TRUSTING HIM TO USE US LESSONS FROM INDIA

“But before I knew it, I was wishing I could retract those prayers for honesty and insight into my students’ lives.”


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And then I had to leave.

The five months that had seemed like an eternity in July now felt in December like a breath. I was convinced that the students desperately needed consistent adults who would love them while they were living and studying away from their parents. Now I was the one breaking the relationship and making the change. I couldn’t help asking myself whether or not I had really made a difference in any of the students’ lives. I believed I had been a good teacher and hopefully a caring friend, but I was by no means a savior for the students. Their pain was still very present, and there was no promise their problems wouldn’t get worse in the future. What was the point of my love, prayers, and words of truth and encouragement?

Here, I must come back to Scripture. “For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as

Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.” 2 Corinthians 4:5-7

I could seriously write out, underline, and bold most of 2 Corinthians 2-5 for this. The point is that we ourselves do not change or save anyone. On our own, we are simply broken jars of clay. God gives us His light and Spirit to minister His truth to a blind world. We are made ministers of reconciliation, but He is the One who reconciles and saves. His love for the lost is greater than we can ever know.

I loved my students incredibly. I wanted so badly for them to experience a saving relationship with God and let Him redeem

the broken and painful parts of their lives. Yet I know and trust that God loves them exponentially more than I do. I pray that He somehow used me as a small part in His perusal of these kids and that He will continue to use broken jars of clay like myself to reveal His light and love in their lives. Thank the Lord that His work is far beyond me.

–Sarah Jones is a senior TESOL major.

“...I know and trust that God loves them exponentially more than I do. ”

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Acquired knowledge should be used to glorify God by helping people see the Kingdom through the example of our lives, noted Multnomah chapel speaker Rabbi David Sumner in April of this year.

“Study to teach,” he said.

As I prepare to graduate and enter motherhood, I resonate with Sumner’s words. Since coming to Multnomah in 2008, I have known that I’m here for more than myself, and having a little life growing inside of me has reinforced that understanding. I’m going to be responsible for shaping my son. And so much of my influence on him will be through the voices I’ve chosen to listen to at Multnomah. Multnomah has shaped me. Multnomah will shape those I teach.

Sumner said our teachers – good or bad – help form who we become. In American Literature II, Dr. Doug Schaak emphasized much the same thing: “We are shaped by the voices we choose to listen to and accept.” What have I accepted?

What kind of teacher will I be? The prospect of being a prominent voice in my son’s life is both exhilarating and terrifying. It’s exhilarating because God has opened my heart to wondrous and fascinating things that I long to share. And it’s terrifying because I know I am so imperfect and not everything my son will learn from me will be correct, helpful, or even good. One morning, I was talking to Multnomah’s external web developer Leroy Lee about parenting. He pointed out that we pass on both our strengths and weaknesses to our children. “But mostly we pass on our weaknesses,” he said, “unless we are intentional. Then we have to aspire to be who we want our children to be.” Am I intentional about what I do with my strengths and weaknesses? In his Hebrews through Revelation class, Dr. Ray Lubeck had something to say about our weaknesses: The more mature Christians become, the more they will see and be bothered by their sin. Lee’s statements, coupled with Lubeck’s words, provoked me to much self-evaluation. The more troubled I am about my own sin, the more concerned I have become about my (future) children inheriting my sin tendencies. I have begun to realize that what I decide to do with my sin will tremendously influence those I am responsible to train up. Through my example, will I teach my son to cover up his sin or expose it in Christ’s light and grace? Will he learn from me to ignore his sin or to see and confront it? Professor Dave Jongeward spoke in a chapel about how vital intentionality has been in his

own parenting experience. “Parents can instill (in) their kids to trust God and to follow Him,” he said. At this year’s junior/senior banquet, he exhorted students to run the race of life and to finish the race well. That requires intentionality.

I am leaving Multnomah in the middle of my journey with much of the race yet to run. I am leaving with more questions than I have answers, but I am also leaving with a framework from which to approach my post-graduation life. I will continue to learn. I will continue to deliberately study God’s Word. I will continue to mature in intentionality. I will continue to sift through the voices and accept some for myself. And I will continue to fall more in love with the Savior, as Multnomah’s co-founder Dr. John Mitchell would have said. I am on a journey in which Multnomah was a step. The next step is to take what I have learned into my new role as a teacher – a mommy. –Liz Clark is a senior Journalism major.

BY LIZ CLARK PHOTO BY NATHAN CLARK

STUDENT TO TEACHER

A PROFESSOR’S TIPSDr. Lubeck, in his Hebrews through Revelation class, advised students to live intentionally after graduation:

• Deliberately study the Bible

• Be well read

• Spent time with people who know more than you do

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GRADUATING SENIOR PREPARES FOR MOTHERHOOD AND TRAINING UP THE NEXT GENERATION FOR CHRIST

“I have known that I’m here for more than myself, and having a little life growing inside of me has reinforced that understanding.”

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FUTURE FUTURE

MULTNOMAH STUDENTSPHOTOS BY CORNELIA SEIGNEUR

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PERSPECTIVE | UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT TS &

Plans. We all have them. Some of us plan a little more detailed than others. Some of us like to wing it while others get down to the nitty gritty. But we all have some sort of plan. It’s ingrained in us from the time we were little and were asked that

infamous question (at least a zillion times by a zillion different people) “What are you going to be when you grow up?”

What I should have said was “I’m FIVE! I don’t know yet, but I’ve got time to figure it out!” Instead, I rattled off one thing or another, always in keeping with those typical childhood dreams: a teacher, a singer, an actress, an astronaut, a fire fighter, President of the United States. . . .

At some point, those dreams were popped as some realist came along with their cynical pin cushion. The balloons floated to the ground, only to be swept aside as a more realistic goal was formed. These new goals are often encouraged by those we hold dear. Someone well-intentioned who cares about our success.

The pressure to plan our future continues as we journey through childhood into our

teenage years. Where are you going to go to college? What will you study? What are you going to do with your degree?

The pinnacle of this path is college graduation; where I am at right now. At this point, we have two expectations placed upon us.

We’re expected to know what we want to do with our lives and we’re expected to have the tools to do that thing (a.k.a. - a college degree). But what happened to living? What happened to dreaming?

Conrad Hilton, founder of the Hilton hotel chains, once said “To accomplish big things I am convinced you must first dream big dreams.”

I come from a family of dreamers, yet I find myself afraid of my dreams. To pursue my dreams means taking a risk. “What if I fail?” has been my mantra; fear has been my guide. ButI’m slowly realizing that fear of failure robs me not only of my dreams but also of my joy and my hope. Dreams are just one way of hoping for a better future, and this is a hope we all need.

So, as I look beyond graduation, I’m heading off to pursue some dreams. Really, they’re bucket-list items. But all three are things I’ve attempted before... and failed all three times.

I’m going to go work in an orphanage in

Uganda for three weeks. This is something I tried to do in 2006 and the door was closed then. But it’s open now.

I’m going to go to the United Kingdom. This is something I planned to do in 2005 and never left.

I’m going to drive to California and try to find a job, so I can move there long-term. This is something I did in 2004 and returned all too soon.

I’m going to go and pursue my dreams. I’m going to stop letting the fear of failure dictate my life. Might success elude me? It’s possible. But at least I’ll be able to say I tried.

Who knows?

Maybe I, too, will accomplish big things as I give wings to my big dreams.

–Deanna Voss is a senior English minor.

BY DEANNA VOSS

IT’S BETTER TO TRY AND FAIL THAN TO HAVE NEVER TRIED AT ALL

“We’re expected to know what we want to do with our lives and... to have the tools to do that thing.”

DREAM BIGDARING TO

LIVING BEYOND THE GRAVE

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During our time at Multnomah, God walks us through the hard times. He uses these times to teach us how to have dependence on Him to carry out His purposes through us and for us.

Sometimes, for this very purpose, God calls home our friends.

But we do not lose heart. Our brothers and sisters who have died in Christ are this very day dancing with the Lord in paradise. They are awaiting their resurrection unto life eternal where we are promised that there will be no more tears or death.

Not long ago, our Multnomah friend and sister,

Jennica Kruse, was called home to the Lord. Jennica was studying in the Masters of Arts in Teaching program at Multnomah when she died suddenly of a brain tumor. Despite our pain at her loss, we rejoice with the memory of her because she is in a better place. The good-byes are for but a moment and soon we will see her again with our precious Lord and Savior who has conquered death.

Until that time, her memory lives on in our hearts. Andrew Kruse, Jennica’s husband and our fellow Multnomah friend, has set himself as a model of such an attitude even though the devil tempts him to forsake praising the Lord. Let us honor this man for his steadfast faith in the goodness of God.

This is not an isolated incident. Many of our Multnomah friends in Christ have gone home before us. Let us take heart that their memory lives on in the hearts and minds of Multnomah students, faculty, and staff. Various memorials

placed throughout our campus help remind us of our friends who are no longer with us.

LAURA SILVAPlanted outside Multnomah’s JCA dining hall, a tree grows beside a memorial stone in memory of student Laura Silva. Laura died from a fall she sustained while rock climbing in the Columbia River Gorge in 2009. She is survived by her husband, Bobby Silva, who works in the Multnomah Biblical Seminary. The memorial tree and plaque were placed at the request of Bobby.

TERRY DIRKSStaff member Terry Dirks died in 1999. Terry died in Japan where he was leading an international prayer renewal team from Multnomah. He had led the international prayer renewal team on the Multnomah campus since 1986. Terry died of a brain aneurysm and was found sitting up in his bed with his Bible open on his lap. The prayer

BY CHRIS HANSENPHOTO BY AARON ESPARZA

LIVING BEYOND THE GRAVE

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chapel is named in honor of Terry.

HOLLY MILLERStudent Holly Miller’s heart was devoted to missions. She went to Sumba, Indonesia to follow her passion to be a missionary. While on a trail outside the village she ministered in, Holly stepped between a snake and a little girl. The venomous snake bit Holly and she died. In Holly’s memory, Multnomah’s Dr. Garry Friesen, along with some of Holly’s friends, donated and raised money for an endowment scholarship that is still given to students for the purpose of missions trips.

MULTNOMAH’S BUILDINGSAll the buildings on Multnomah’s campus are named for the deceased friends of Multnomah in honor of their faithful service and love for Christ. Sutcliffe Hall is named after Multnomah’s first president, Dr. B.B. Sutcliffe. Dr. Sutcliffe was a statesman and nationally known Bible teacher who served the Lord at

Multnomah from 1936-1943.

Multnomah’s library is named after Multnomah’s co-founder Dr. John Mitchell, who taught here for many years. Dr. Mitchell taught at Multnomah until he died at 96 years old. As you enter the library through the north-side door, you will see plaques that memorialize Dr. Mitchell’s sayings to the students he taught. One reads, “Don’t you folks ever read your Bibles?” Many of the faculty members still remember Dr. Mitchell saying these words.

IN MEMORY OF JENNICA KRUSEJennica had a heart for children and teaching. Multnomah’s Professor Dave Jongeward is working with her family and friends to set up a scholarship in her name. Her husband and family, along with Dave Jongeward and all the Muse staff, would like to ask that you pray for the scholarship to be established to reflect Jennica’s love for teaching and to serve as a

blessing for future MAT students. If you would like to donate to the endowment for this scholarship please contact Dave Jongeward.

May Jennica’s name and the names of all our Multnomah friends who are no longer with us live on in our hearts until the day we are reunited in the kingdom of God. Praise the Lord, who conquered death to provide this true hope of life with Christ, forever more. Praise the Lord!

–Chris Hansen is a senior Communication Studies major.

Reflecting on Loss & Remembering with Monuments

“Various memorials placed throughout our campus help remind us of our friends who are no longer with us.”

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ARTS & CULTURE | FICTION | UNDERGRADUATE A NIGHT OF WORSHIP WITH CARL LAWS

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“What is a good neighbor?”

Mickey Fernandez me-thodically dusts a ceiling fan and responds, “Well, let me tell you a little parable.”

A man goes on a journey and gets mugged along the way. While he is

lying on the pavement, empty-pocketed and beaten to a pulp, a missionary and a pastor walk by. Instead of helping him, they avert

their eyes and pass on the other side of the street. Then, either a gay-rights activist or a fundamentalist pastor with a ‘God hates fags’ sign comes across the beaten man and carries him to a car. He takes the man to a suite in a 5-star hotel and then tells the lady at the front desk to provide everything he needs - medical care, food, clothing, you name it - for as long as he needs it. He’ll cover the tab.

“Go and do likewise,” Mickey tells me with a smile.

A sampling of Multnomah students were asked this same question on Day of Outreach, and the answers ranged from “A neighbor

that is good” and “I don’t know” to “Someone who cares deeply for others beyond their own concern,” “Someone you can borrow eggs from,” “Someone who is able to love someone else regardless of differences,” and “Someone who makes an effort to get to know those around them and is willing to be helpful.”

The question seems almost juvenile for those of us raised in the church and reminiscent of Sunday School classes when we were given an animal cracker for understanding “the moral of the story.” But if we don’t know how to define a good neighbor, how can we possibly follow Jesus’ command to be one? What is our motivation for participating in an organized

BY HANNAH JENSENPHOTOS BY NATALIE POLK

BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY: AN OVERVIEW OF DAY OF OUTREACH

THE GOOD NEIGHBOR



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ARTS & CULTURE | BOOK RESPONSE | UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTday of service, and how can we know if we’ve accomplished anything? These questions seem to haunt many of us, and to investigate we must turn to those whom we mean to serve.

On this semester’s Day of Outreach, I visited four of the fourteen locations where Multnomah students were serving and interviewed a worker at each organization. They shared the background and vision of the ministry they serve with and then answered two very telling questions: What is a good neighbor and what would redemption look like here? From their responses, some answers began to coalesce.

THE INNJohn is an experienced volunteer at The Inn, a home for at-risk boys and young men. It was established in the 1960s by a group from the Portland community whose main goal was to get youth out of the foster care system and into a home where they could learn to be a positive member of society. They are taught physical skills such as dressing themselves, bathing, and cooking, as well as emotional skills like self-control and setting healthy boundaries in relationships.

John’s idea of a good neighbor is “Being willing to assist - a friend in need is a friend indeed. We’re all part of something, and life is easier because we work together.” In the context of The Inn, redemption looks like ownership: “Learning to understand yourself and do things for the right reason.” If the young men under John’s care can take responsibility for their hearts and actions, he considers their situation redeemed.

COMPASSION CONNECTAlicia, of Compassion Connect, was very relationally oriented in her vision. This organization strives to connect the church and the community. For Alicia, this means bringing

together local churches and Stonecreek Apartments - a community of older singles, often retired and/or disabled, many of whom qualify for governmental housing assistance. Her mission in living among them is to show the love of the Lord that they have too frequently been denied by Christians.

“The longer you live with them, the more they open up,” she shared glowingly. A good neighbor, according to Alicia, is “Being willing to listen, taking initiative, and showing that you care. Also being interested, asking how they are, and being consistent and genuine.” At Stonecreek, redemption would look like “Seeing people connect with neighbors and the church and seeing perspectives change.” She said. “It might be slow and you’ll see ups and downs, but the struggle shows that [God] is working. Basically you’re seeing relationships being built, and introducing God to this community again.”

BRIDGER ELEMENTARY SCHOOLI met Deb at Bridger Elementary School. She is the current PTA president devoted to meeting the needs of the school that teachers can’t fill. Those needs stem from the fact that many of the students come from poverty-stricken families or homes in which English is a second language. She is excited about Multnomah’s involvement at Bridger because her goal for this year is making connections so that greater

improvements can be accomplished.

For Deb, being a good neighbor is “Sharing skills, checking in with the neighborhood, and taking a step when you think no one else will.” What she envisions for the redemption of this school is “Caring for someone other than yourself,” which in turn fuels community development.

SHEPHERD’S DOORMy final interview took place at Shepherd’s Door, a shelter where women learn self-control, return to their core values, and begin to live normal lives, usually in an effort to reclaim children taken by child services. I spoke with Ron, a professional chef and avid gardener, whose mission at Shepherd’s Door is to teach the women to grow and cook their own food.

In Ron’s view, “A lot of people complain about problems, but a good neighbor is someone who takes initiative to help a person. They get involved and find out more, because there’s always more than we see.” Redemption for these women would include “Reawakening them. And for the women trying to reclaim their children, helping them make the transition to take part in their child’s life.”

“Being a good neighbor” is more than just serving: putting a Band-Aid on a gaping wound. It involves redemption: healing the hurts of broken humanity. Unfortunately, we cannot claim to accomplish this by work that we do for others. In the words of Multnomah student Joe Borelis, “We could do a million Day of Outreaches at these locations, but if God doesn’t do something it won’t matter.” We can only be obedient to the lifestyle and teaching of the One truly Good Neighbor, and trust in His power to redeem.

–Hannah Jensen is a junior English major and aTESOL major.

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“I don’t believe it’s the way you were raised / or the cards you were dealt / or a poor self-image / I think you love yourself too much.” –Steve Taylor

Pride is pervasive. It plagues our whole life.

“Ain’t no killer like pride / no killer like “I” / no killer like what’s inside.” –Switchfoot

Pride is impossible to overcome. Once we make any progress in humility we are immediately aware of it, then it’s back to square one.

How do we avoid this? Pride seems impossible.

“I’m so filthy with my sin / I carry pride like a disease.” –Delirious

I feel frustrated and helpless when a time of pouring my heart out in joy to Jesus is quickly converted into the simple thought, “I bet people would really think I’m great if they realized how much I love Jesus...”

Pride surges through my mind even as I write. My devotional times incessantly go back and forth between legitimately finding joy in

How to Kill Pride Jesus and then realizing this legitimacy, which ironically cripples the joy in self-centeredness.

The truth is that I am just obsessed with myself. And whether or not I am secretly trying to convince you of my humility is not the point. The point is that the statement is objectively true regardless of my subjective motivations. I am just obsessed with myself. Fact.

However, it is also objectively true that Jesus still loves me. Simply put, even if I am motivated by pride to proclaim how much Jesus loves me in spite of my pride, it is nevertheless still a true fact.

And that’s the only hope we have to ever overcome our pride.

Our hope is in the reality of the love of Jesus Christ for us. Our hope is in the certainty of His work. This certainty is discovered in an eschatological truth from 1 John 3:2: “When He appears we will be made like Him.”

Yes, our minds are exceedingly corrupt, and sometimes it’s hard to have five seconds of authentic joy in worship before we start imagining what other people think about us. But we can hope in this certainty in the next verse: “And everyone who thus hopes in Him purifies Himself as He is pure.”

The certainty of this eschatological truth –this truth which has not yet been realized – is

precisely what changes our hearts now. Pride, this impossible enemy, is destroyed by the fact that one day we will experience the joy of full sanctification, the joy of being “made like Him,” the joy of being fully brought into our identity as sons and daughters of God.

Joy and pride are at war inside me. Pride always robs me of my joy, and I am faced with the reality of my hopelessness.

Only the certainty of the hope that Jesus will save us out of our pride (in spite of our pride) can potentially restore us to joy. And He will most certainly complete the work that He has begun.

So rejoice. Joy kills pride.

“Let my foolish pride forever let me down.” –Switchfoot

–Jesse Califf is a senior English minor.

BY JESSE CALIFFPHOTO BY MICHAEL CHOI

THOUGHTS ON JOY NOW AND NOT YET

“Pride...is destroyed by the fact that one day we will experience the joy of full sanctification...”


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A column and article series about a journey to explore the variety of arts.

What is art? Who is an artist? Where does the artist end and the art begin? What is discipline and what is gift? Where

does the audience fit in? These are just a few of some very big questions that come up when talking or philosophising about art and creating. I can’t promise to answer any of these questions or others you may have, but I would like to start a path to travel and learn on. Embark with me once again on The Arts’ Spice Road.

In the last edition of Muse, The Hollywood Edition, we explored a taste of the diversity of art and its contributors. We focused on a videographer, a dancer, and a visual artist. We dug into the idea of gift and discipline and how the balance of the two are crucial to a lifestyle and expression that

THE ARTS’ SPICE ROADmany often only be seen as a seamless marvel. We travelled through the different journeys of how the identity of artist became part of each individual.

In this, The Beyond Edition of Muse, I would like to expand that idea. I would like to look at an artist dedicated to creative expression in herself and in others. I would also like to reflect on Beautiful Response, Multnomah’s creative expression focused chapel week, and look at the Multnomah’s artists beyond the chapel venue.

Now, this edition’s focus…

A BIT OF JANELLE GREGORY’S STORYJanelle Gregory’s mom has photographs of Janelle drawing doodles from as early as age three. When Janelle was in junior high she was homeschooled, and as soon as she’d finish her work she’d spend hours in her room drawing. Much of the notes she took from sermons at church were filled with doodling. She’s not sure what influenced her to draw because no one else in her family really did art.

Janelle never struggled with accepting part of

her identity as an artist because she was always ‘the artist in the family. It wasn’t until she actually took art classes and saw other artists her age to compare herself with that she began struggling with the title of “artist” a bit. In high school, when she stopped homeschooling, she took art classes. She absolutely loved them, and her teachers affirmed her passion and talent while also exposing her to new techniques.

Janelle was able to take quite a large variety of art classes, and most of her electives in high school were art classes. She took ceramics, basic design, drawing, painting, stain glass, and metal work. Janelle was also able to get some art experience with the theatre department doing costumes. She didn’t know what other kids did for their electives because her passion was immersed in her art classes. Her senior project was a series of four paintings that ended up being mounted and hung up in the school.

After high school, Janelle was given a bit of a rude awakening that helped her develop her skills more. She took a painting class at Mt. Hood Community College where the professor

BY TIINA MALLPHOTO & ART BY JANELLE GREGORY

Beyond the Gallery, Book, and Show: the Creative Expression of Self

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graded everyone very harshly. She thought this was strange because, well, ‘how can one grade art?’

But just a couple months ago she pulled out

some of her work from her time in that class and found that her professor had been right. Janelle learned a lot from him, especially about color theory; now, she actually loves to work with colors. Before she found paint colors

frustrating, and water color in specific drove her crazy. Now she loves playing with colors.

While doing art at Mt. Hood Janelle also took a variety of other classes. She fractured her hand in ceramics class and had to take a cartooning class instead of the one she wanted. Though her teacher was a professional cartoonist, Janelle didn’t want to take the class. Mostly, she was hesitant about cartooning because she was afraid of the stereotypes about cartooning and cartoonists.

She found she was wrong though. Janelle ended up enjoying the class so much that she looks back on it as one of her favorites now. The teacher encouraged her to express her own creative unique cartoon and idea. She ended up doing a series on her and her little sister.

That, simplistically, is Janelle’s idea of artistic expression; it is finding your unique creative way to give voice to your heart. Typically, Janelle’s favorite art forms to work with are paint and pen and ink, and she enjoys mixing medias too.

The media, or channel of creative communication, depends on the spirit of what


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is being communicated. Sometimes Janelle chooses to write songs and pick up her guitar to let the art out of her. Somehow the art is always something from inside of her.

Yet, it is not always what she expects. Once, in a sculpture class, Janelle wanted to create a piece to memorialize her grandmother. She wanted the piece to be dark but when she started putting details into it she found something unexpected.

“I expected it to have a bunch of blacks and blues but instead it had flowers blooming out of cracks in the midst of all these shattered pieces of glass and stuff,” she said. It was as if God was telling her to let go, that that part of her life was done. That was actually the last art piece she did at Mt. Hood Community College before she started at Multnomah University.

Now, mainly her art is for other people. She takes a verse or part of a song and integrates it into a painting and then she gives it to someone. Recently, Janelle was talking to Lisa Wold about counseling. Lisa suggested that putting art and therapy together might actually be something for her to continue with people. The reason being that God has taught her to process even her own emotions and heart through art.

For example, last year there was a time when Janelle was quite depressed. She wrote a song, and through it heard God. Janelle was able to heal, grow and move forward. She explained, “I express myself through art. It’s easier to communicate what I’ve been through – through a song or a painting than to verbalize it.” She said it’s also, “cathartic to put the paint on the canvas.”

Talking to Janelle was inspiring and encouraging. With tea and good conversation, I gathered that unique self-expression and a therapeutic process is creativity. The question I asked Janelle next was mostly a continuation of what we’d already been talking about – What is art? Or how do we know if we are artistic? Or more closely related to our previous conversation – What is creative expression?

The conversation that followed brought us to The Beautiful Response that took place between the 16th and 20th of April 2012.

When asking people to give submissions for The Beautiful Response, many kept telling her that they aren’t creative at all. Janelle disagrees with people when they say they are not artistic. “You don’t have to paint to be artistic…,” she says. It just takes that something that makes them unique – some way of expressing themselves that is just them. So, creativity is about expressing yourself. That is why The Beautiful Response was not just another task on Janelle’s StuGo responsibility list. She was excited about Beautiful Response. When she took it over, she understood that the heart was for it to be a time and space for people to get to share their stories. She says, “It assures you (the audience – the peers) that you are not the only one going through this…” Dancing, painting, poetry, music, whatever it is, seeing people who often just do art for themselves take the risk to share their artistic hearts with others is amazing. And, “seeing the whole student body respond to how the people were sharing was (and is) cool,” Janelle says.

–Tiina Mall is a senior Communication Studies major.

The song “Nothing is wasted” by Jason Gray was the inspiration for the theme of this year’s Beautiful Response. I hope you won’t waste your artistic expression. Create! Perhaps even submit your responses to heart and expression thereof in next year’s Beautiful Response. So, without further ado, here is another look at the submissions for Beautiful Response, beyond just chapel.

“You don’t have to paint to be artistic.”

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ARTS & CULTURE | STUDENTS

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UNTITLED BY BEAU STUMBERG

“MARRIAGE” BY SHAINA DOEHLE & JULIA KINNEY

“I HOLD YOU” BY JUSTYNA SPROULE “ISAIAH 12” BY MALIA PEARSON UNTITLED BY KAYLA THOMAS

“THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS” BY HANNAH JENSON

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“MARRIAGE” BY SHAINA DOEHLE & JULIA KINNEY

UNTITLED BY KAYLA THOMAS

“THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS” BY HANNAH JENSON

“ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN LOVE” BY SABRINA JOHNSON

UNTITLED BY RACHEL ALVICK “BEAUTIFUL LIFE” BY CHRISTINE HAKE


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“REFLECTIONS” BY BEAU STUMBERG

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“JUST BEYOND THE RIVER” BY ANTHONY BEATTY-TINSAY

BY JOHN LUCAS BY JOHN LUCAS

BY JOHN LUCAS BY JOHN LUCAS

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BY JOHN LUCAS “BOXED JUNGLE” BY ANDREW JENKINS

BY JOHN LUCAS

“ASLAN’S COUNTRY” BY ANTHONY BEATTY-TINSAY


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“LEAD ME TO THE CROSS” BY JENNICA MOSSER UNTITLED BY WENDY CONTRERAS

“CLEANSED” BY BETHANY MARK “DIRTY AND LOVED” BY THOMAS RUTTGER & DORM SECTION

“NOTHING WASTED” BY JARED ISAACSON

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UNTITLED BY WENDY CONTRERAS

“NOT MY HOME” BY JOSH MURRELL


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UNTITLED BY NATALIYA MIKHAYLOVA

ARTS & CULTURE | FICTION | UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

She sits, a child in awe of her Father. Heart alive, lungs full, soul thankful. God is truly too good to her.

Her heart swells, desiring to know where to continue – Father’s opinion and guiding, showing her the way. What a beautiful life

He’s given her – with scars that adorn beyond the sparkle of the rarest jewel. What wonderful relationships He’s surrounded her with; people to stand beside her, hands to hold her up, feet to walk with her.

A still, unrelenting peace pierces her heart and moves her to her knees. God is too good to her. Desiring His glory, she seeks His wisdom and counsel, slowly releasing her grip and laying her heart and treasure at His feet. Ruthless trust. This is what she needs to grow in. Ephesians 1:18-20 – This is what she needs to pray and believe. Child-like wonder. This is how she needs to worship Him.

Will she hold onto her own will or let God take it and do what He wills with it? To let go is to rip her very being apart, but God is faithful, and God will always be glorified.

I pray that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened, so that I will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the

glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places (Eph. 1:18-20).

This power that raised Christ from the dead is alive and working. In her.

Every day.

How humbling.

How freeing.

–Miki Gao is a senior English major.

BY MIKI GAOPHOTOS BY AARON ESPARZA

Ruthlessly trusting by releasing grip into God’s handsTHE HOPE OF HIS CALLING

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ARTS & CULTURE | FICTION | UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

READ FROM BEGINNING.The sounds of battle raged outside Orfeo’s palace walls. Slaves rose up using whatever they held to beat back the soldiers that had once brutally whipped them. Something in them had finally come alive, thanks

to the woman who cut through the ranks of the soldiers as if they were not there. Her strength and presence inspired the one million slaves to rise up and overthrow their wicked masters.

Malachi stood nearby watching the battle with his hands held in the air. Two young men helped him keep his hands still. Many had tried to climb the steep cliffs to get to the prophet and all had failed. The King showed his presence through the protection of the prophet that had been spit upon by so many.

Achima continued to fight. Sweat fell from her brow as both her sword and spear were covered in the blood of her enemies. Part of her mind thanked the King that she was not on the other end of his judgment. Finding the way to the palace now open, she pulled away from the battle and made her way to the throne room.

The scene that greeted her was a strange one indeed. Amara stood before Orfeo in scarlet robes while Orfeo wore black ones. They spoke quietly. When Orfeo noted that Achima was in the room his lips turned up into a sneer.

“You silly girl, you will die for what you have started.” Raising a hand he summoned his guards.

The fight began and Achima found herself able to guess the guards’ every move. She slayed one after the other without thinking before realizing that they all lay dead around her feet.

“Orfeo. . .” Achima’s eyes widening, she threw her hands up. “No!”

A dagger plunged into Orfeo’s back, piercing deep into his being. Orfeo’s life spattered on Amara’s scarlet robes, staining them with the blood of the one who had made her his heir.

In the dead silence, Amara spoke. “I could not

let your hands be tainted by killing our father. You are bound for greatness, no one should say that you have sinned against the King by taking your father’s life.”

Orfeo fell to the floor, his eyes quickly glazing over as his mouth filled with his own life blood. Amara stood over him.

“You have paid for your sins now, my father.” Staring into his eyes, tears trickled down her cheeks. Then Amara turned to her sister. “I wish I could serve the King as you, Achima, but I cannot. It is time for me to step down.”

Achima ran to her sister but arrived too late as Amara thrust the dagger into her own soft belly. The blood of the wicked and of repentance ran together as it flowed onto the stone floor. Grabbing her sister, Achima held her, “He would have welcomed you. The King would have welcomed you.”

“But His people would have rejected me, they would. . .” Coughing up some of her life, Amara continued, “. . .have thrown me aside, seeing only my sins, not my changing heart. Be strong.” Putting her forehead to Amara’s, Achima allowed their tears to mix. The King

spared her but why not her sister?

Hours passed and victory was declared. Achima came out of the palace, her eyes red with weeping. The people cheered for her but she walked numbly through them until she came to Malachi. Standing before him she threw her weapons down, “No more.” With those whispered words, she turned and left her cheering people.

The King had chosen her for a task, but she could not go after Mephaust. The King must choose another. In order not to lose those they held dear, it must be one with no family. Watching her go, Malachi shook his head as his heart was falling in his chest. The heroine walked away from all that she was called to do.

Defeat bent Achima’s shoulders, she did not turn back to see her mother’s small smile and hear her say, “The King remembered us, and He will remember you my daughter. We are not called to a faith of apathy but one of action. He will come to you, my daughter. He will remember your pain and bring you the soothing balm your soul longs for.”

–Brittany Kramberg is a sophomore Psychology major.

CHAPTER 4: THE END OF ORFEORemember Me, Part V

BY BRITTANY KRAMBERGPHOTO BY MICHAEL CHOI

Dreams

Part of my heart is really sadTo let go of the dreams that I once had

Is it just that I am blue

Or maybe lost sight of you?

Or did my dreams become too much mine?Did I forget that my dreams are your design?

My dreams were what lived for growing upLife was an adventure and full was my cup

I had so much to look forward to in lifenow my dreams feel like they were stabbed with a knife

Did postmodernism leave me this way?Is this loss of dreams and hopes to stay?

Was it because my perfect world met reality?Or was I too caught up in my spirituality?

Weren't my dreams of you?Yet maybe drenched in infatuation through and through

Why have you taken my dreams away?Is this a part of you molding me as clay?

Is this process meant to strip me of what isn’t of youAnd bring me to a place all brand new

Right now I have no dreams to hold on toI am just fighting to make it through

But wait, is that the point right there?To bring me to an end in my despair

To let go of my dreams I’ve held on toSo I could in turn hold onto you?

–Jamie Fowler is a sophomore Pastoral minor.

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BY JAMIE FOWLERPHOTO BY AARON ESPARZA

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FROM GLORY TO GLORY

CONCEPT BY AARON ESPARZA AND MICHAEL CHOI

67PHOTO BY AARON ESPARZA

69PHOTOS BY MICHAEL CHOI

ARTS & CULTURE | COLLAGE | UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

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BY JANELLE GREGORY

I am the wife who walked away, I am the son who refused to stay,I am a wandering soul

I was blind before I could see,I am the thief hanging on that tree,Calling out with a mocking voice

Why don’t I love like I should?Why do I run away from you?

Everything I’ve done on my ownHas fallen apartStill You call me to Yourself and say,“I want you and your broken heart.”

I am the stubborn man that cried,“Oh Lord, I‘d rather die,than see Your saving grace.”

I am the man torn by sin,Haunted by my ghosts withinCrying out, “Set me free.”

Oh Lord, it’s every day that I have to choose to say, “Bind my heart to Yours.” Oh Lord, it’s every day that I have to choose to say, “Bind my heart to Yours.”

Everything I’ve done on my ownHas fallen apartStill You call me to Yourself and say,“I want you and your broken heart.Dear child, I’ll love you no matter who you are.”

Your Broken Heart

PHOTO BY AARON ESPARZA

71PHOTO BY AARON ESPARZA

ARTS & CULTURE | COLLAGE | UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

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My chains are goneI’ve been set free

My God my Savior Has ransomed meAnd like a flood His mercy reigns

Unending loveAmazing grace

BY CHRIS TOMLIN

BY LEANNE GISH

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ARTS & CULTURE | PHOTO COLLAGE | UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT

2012 SPRING T H A W PHOTOS BY AARON ESPARZA


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When my daughter Rachel – our first born child and only daughter – was born, God laid it on my heart to kneel at her crib every evening after she had fallen asleep, to pray for her life. My husband and I both

prayed so many things for our daughter, as we did (and do) for our other four children who came after Rachel – and first and foremost is that they would come to know Jesus as their

Lord and Savior, and that they would love Him in a real and genuine way; and that God would guide all their days, and protect them and make them kind people who love others, and that they would sense God’s hope and peace and leading of the Spirit. And, I pray (prayed) from day one, that God would bring a wonderful, godly person into their lives to be married one day, and that He would be preparing their spouse for them. As a mom, we think about our children’s future from the day they are born. That is, we plan for “the beyond” at every turn of parenting, from before they are born really.

Beyond the pregnancy for a healthy birth.

Beyond waking up in the middle of the night to when they sleep through the night.

Beyond crawling to walking.

Beyond first words to sentences to reading.

Beyond kindergarten to grade school.

Beyond faith of the parents to their own faith.

Beyond high school to college to real life.

Beyond dating to marriage.

BY CORNELIA SEIGNEUR

A DAUGHTER’S MARRIAGE, MUSE MAGAZINE, AND THE BEYOND

Raising Children and Birthing a Magazine

PHOTO BY CHRISTA-TAYLOR PHOTOGRAPHY

END PAGE | FACULTY ADVISOR MUSINGS

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Beyond living for themselves to truly living for Christ.

As our oldest child first left home after high school to attend Bodenseehof, a Torchbearers Bible school in Germany, she had a solid, genuine, think-outside-the box walk with the Lord. I was so grateful. And God was leading her to study journalism (okay, biased here – so happy about that!) Yet, regarding relationships, that third prayer, she said to me, “Mom, just so you know, I’ll be 30 before I get married, IF EVER.” The age part did not bother me, but the part about “if ever” regarding marriage did give me pause, (though I said nothing) – I have always wanted my children to find that special person to serve God with. And, indeed, God did have plans for my daughter. And, before she turned 30. My Rachel was married just this last March 31,



END PAGE | FACULTY ADVISOR MUSINGS

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2012 in a beautiful ceremony at The Academy Chapel in Vancouver. At the age 22. Who would have thought? God. God knew, and, I just had to trust. I was never worried. As I had prayed for the beyond, from the day my daughter was born (and before she was born), that God would direct her days in all ways, and then we just waited. He continues to direct her and my other children. __________________________________

We look beyond in so many ways in our lives. And, of course, not just parents. Faculty consider what outcomes they would like for their students to accomplish by the end of the school year and students think about what they want to be when they “grow up” from day one.

As our Muse staff contemplated our theme for this last edition of the 2011-2012 school year, the beyond theme seemed a perfect fit. The majority of our Muse staff are seniors, and other students, faculty and staff look beyond the school year to the summer and fall.

And, we look to the beyond for the direction of Muse.

With the school’s journalism program and student newspaper sunsetted last year, and

me being hired to teach-out the last classes and help launch a new student publication this past fall, so much was in the air.

So much to think about for the beyond.

Last fall, we prayed and planned and mused and toiled over this new student publication that had yet to be named. We so wanted this publication to honor God and Multnomah, and for it to be embraced as a way to share the important voice of the students. We prayed a lot. And trusted. And, God gave us our name, Muse (Multnomah University Students Engage), after much deliberation and contemplation. And, we decided to have themes each month, which has been great. We wanted our magazine to be literary and artsy and intelligent and well-read and to honor God.

I so appreciate how the student staff and others have taken ownership of Muse, and how they really want to keep this publication alive and thriving into the future. And, I am truly grateful for the way the Multnomah community has embraced Muse and how people have communicated with us and submitted stories for publication.

In a very small way, birthing words and a new publication can be compared with raising children. You pray beforehand a whole lot.

You pray during a whole lot. And you pray for the future a whole lot. You dream, you create, you plan, you get on your knees. You trust.

And, just as with my kids, and God guiding, I believe God will continue to lead Muse into the future.

Into the beyond. For now. Thanks for reading and for your support. See you in the fall. –Cornelia Seigneur has been the Editorial Director/Faculty Advisor for Muse student publication since helping launch it on October 6, 2011. She looks forward to returning as Faculty Advisor for Muse in the fall.

Reach Cornelia at www.corneliaseigneur.com or via E-mail at [email protected].

PHOTO BY LUKE PHILLIPS

PHOTO BY CORNELIA SEIGNEUR

muse 006: the beyond edition

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