Warbling

Halloween is here again! This past Friday, I was able to celebrate with some of my friends in Campus Fellowship at a corn maze located just outside Des Moines. We were blessed with a beautiful night of weather, and enjoyed navigating the corn maze, jumping on a giant pillow, playing in a huge pool of corn, sipping hot apple cider, and more! We ended the night by stopping at Abelardo’s, a great, cheap Mexican restaurant located in Des Moines. (and coincidently the same name as my grandfather).

Halloween was always one of my favorite Holidays growing up, and still is. I remember the nights where I would go trick-or-treating with friends down the street and bring home a pillow case filled with more than 30 pounds of candy. I liked dressing up too, I always wanted to have one of the best costumes!

This year I was a Dalton Academy Warbler, from the TV show Glee. It was a little bit strange because I’m not a huge glee fan, but for the limited time I was home this summer, I watched some episodes with my mom and we saw the 3-D movie. After the movie was over, she said that I would make a great Warbler, because I look like Blaine, the lead Warbler.

I kind of joked back that I would be Blaine if she made me a costume, and she took me up on that offer! Not only did she make me the costume, but she went all out. When I opened a package on Thursday, I found a blue jacket with red trim, and a red tie with blue piping, exactly like the actual Warbler outfit. If I could sing and dance better, I could be a legitimate warbler!

One of the coolest things was that people actually realized I was a warbler when I dressed up, not some secret agent or president in a suit. There’s proof that mom did one heck of a job!

Occasionally throughout the night, I was asked if I was going to give a performance (just like the real Warblers), but I had to decline because Warblers never perform solo, only in groups. My warbling partner is my dog Annie, and she was unable to make the trip down to Des Moines, but she has a red bow-tie with blue piping, and when I make it home for Thanksgiving, we’ll give a performance. Overall, it was an awesome night of fun and fellowship with some awesome people.

Until Next Time,

Mike

Myself, as a Warbler

Blaine, the leader of the Dalton Academy Warblers

Annie, my Warbling partner.

A very impressive mini Warbler

Social Chemists?

Last night the first Chemistry Club Social event of the year finally happened! It was funny, earlier in the day I was talking to my friend Paul, who has a Ph.D. in chemical physics, and when I mentioned what the club was going to do later that night he responded jokingly, “What? Chemists and social just don’t fit right in the same sentence.”

Yes, there is a stigma that chemists, and scientists in enjoy working alone in a lab with limited social interaction. That’s certainly a myth, not a fact, and last night ended up being a great time!

18 others and myself met up and drove to the Sleepy Hollow Scream Park in east Des Moines for a night of hanging out and touring haunted houses. Being the weekend before Halloween, the park was packed and the lines were outrageous. We spent an average of an hour waiting to see two attractions, but it was definitely the best part of the night.

Most people didn’t know each other, and it provided a great opportunity to meet and talk about school and life. We bought a package that included visiting all five main attractions, but left after only seeing two because the waits were so long. Nonetheless, everybody seemed to have a good time at the park!

One of the nice things about Chemistry Club is its ability to generate its own funds. Most student organizations on campus get an allocation of a certain amount of money to spend each year, which comes from our tuition.

Chemistry Club on the other hand, sells laboratory notebooks and glasses at the beginning of the year and is able to generate enough revenue to sustain all of our Kids in Chemistry and social costs. College students don’t usually have a lot of money to spend, so it was nice last night where the club was able to pick up the tab!

Until next time,

Mike

Our first social event at Sleepy Hollow with Sponge Bob

Getting ready to shoot some zombies!

Halfway Gone

Halfway Gone October 16, 2011

This weekend marks the halfway point of the semester: eight weeks down, eight to go! Classes are in full swing now, and things are really demanding! I’m really looking forward to the end of this semester, it seems as if my life is consumed by hw, lab reports, and upcoming tests 24/7. This weekend we have fall break and I am using the time to catch up and work ahead on homework and lab reports.

Not everything is dull though! The Lord has really blessed me this semester, and running has been one of the outlets I’ve used in order to remain sane. Our team this year has been incredible. This past Friday, we won the Bradley Invitational, the fifth victory of the season. Everyone is in high spirits right now, as it looks like we’ll be able to contend for the Missouri Valley Conference title in two weeks! Personally my fitness has progressed nicely so far, and I think if given the opportunity, my best races are still yet to come. I was our ninth runner this past meet, running 26:14 for 8k, four seconds off my personal best. I’ll try on keeping this updated better in the weeks to come!

In Christ,

Mike

Matt Eckman, Ryan Flynn, Doug Brady, and myself after winning the Grandview Invitational earlier this month.

The Great Divide - Pt. 2

This post is a few weeks late, things at school are really starting to pick up now! Anyways, I’ll now explain the significance behind the blog’s name, The Great Divide.

As I alluded to in Pt. 1, the name stems from one of Scott Stapp’s songs, “The Great Divide”. In case you haven’t heard the song, the chorus goes:

You set me free, to live my life
You became my reason to survive the great divide
You set me free

What Stapp is referring to you when he says “You” is Jesus Christ. God’s son in the flesh liberated him from his sinful nature, and allowed him to live a life free of guilt. The burden of knowing that he will never be able to be made righteous with God has been lifted off his shoulders. Nothing is more comforting than knowing you will spend all of eternity with the one, true God. Galatians 5:1 states,

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”

I too experienced this sense of freedom and relief during my Freshman year when I came to know the Lord on a personal level. I had always been raised going to church and understood a lot of what the scripture was trying to say, but I was missing the biggest point – I had no faith. I always thought that I would be good enough to go to heaven because I was a nice person. God couldn’t separate me from himself. I never killed anyone; I never committed any grave sins. In the book of Romans however, Paul writes that no one is righteous, we all fall short of God’s perfect standard.

Romans 3:10, “There is no one righteous, not even one” he continues in verse 23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Once I began to realize that I could never measure up to God’s standard, I finally started to recognize my need for a savior. Just because I went to church didn’t make me a Christian. Does going to McDonald’s make you a Big Mac?

There is good news in the Bible though too! God sent his one and only son, Jesus Christ, who lived a sinless life to die for each and every one of us. Jesus lived a holy and just life, and willingly died for all of creation so man could be saved.

1 Peter 3:18 - “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.”

Thus Christ came down to earth, lived and died for man to make us right with God. It is faith that saves man, not his good works. The message of Christianity is quite simple, but so many people, including me, have missed it all.

Romans 10:9, “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.”

On the night of May 7, 2010, I survived the Great Divide. I crossed over from a life of death that was leading to eternal destruction to an eternal life of joy and hope with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He set me free.

I also think college itself can be a Great Divide. Many of us enter college having no idea what to expect, some have no idea of what they want to do with their lives. I didn’t come in with many expectations; I only had three things I wanted to accomplish. 1.) Get good grades 2.) Run fast 3.) Get a girlfriend. Granted, two of those things I am still pursuing and giving the glory to God in the process (Col 3:17), and hopefully if it’s in the Lord’s plans someday the third will come true as well.

Ultimately, college is an experience like none other. It’s the four years of your life where you really discover who you are and what’s your purpose. I arrived at Drake as an immature boy, chasing after things in the world that could never satisfy me and always leave me empty. I feel by the time I graduate I’ll be a responsible man. I know my purpose in life, I will have gained enough responsibility to survive in the real world, and I have discovered the one thing in life that can only bring me joy, satisfaction, and happiness. The Great Divide can be daunting, but if you take that giant step, it will be the greatest thing that you will ever experience.

In Christ,

Mike

Never Forget

Today was the big 10-year anniversary of 9/11 (duh), but it was kind of eerie how it slipped by and passed all too quickly. It’s unbelievable how at the beginning of a beautiful day, the world was changed forever.

It’s interesting for me to reflect back on this tragedy, because when it happened, I was 10 years old, mature enough to understand some things that went on that day, but I had no idea how it would impact the future of this country. I remember it very vividly; let’s bring it back…

Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

The first memory of this day that stands out was its beauty. I woke up to attend 5th grade class at Bluff Creek Elementary school, and at this time in my life my dad would leave me the sports section of the Star Tribune to catch up on all the latest sporting news. I remember the light brightly shining through the window, and as I read the paper, something really caught my eye. Michael Jordan, my childhood basketball hero announced the night before that he was coming out of retirement to make a comeback with the Washington Wizards. I was jacked.

I left for school normally that morning, and I think the attacks in NYC had just begun. When I got to school and was putting my backpack in my locker, I overheard a girl talking about how a plane crashed into a building. I didn’t understand why she was talking about this when the best basketball player in the planet was coming out of retirement. The thought of the plane didn’t cross my mind again until we passed through the halls for recess. TVs were on in the school, and the teachers looked and acted as if something were not right. I saw the images of the burning towers, but still didn’t think anything of it. I thought it was just a bad accident and that everything was going to be okay. My teachers actually ushered us into the classrooms to resume our studies, and we didn’t talk about the events for the rest of the school day.

When I got home form school, my mom explained to my sister and I what was happening that day. It was the first time I recall learning of a terrorist attack, and when my dad got home, we called our grandma (who lived in Queens, NY) to see if everything was all right.

I didn’t understand why attacks on the east coast had to affect life in Minnesota. My soccer practice was cancelled that night, and our family attending a prayer meeting at our church in Minneapolis. Because I wasn’t directly affected by the attack (at that moment), I couldn’t comprehend why it was a big deal.

Fast forwarding back to the present time, I’m amazed of all that’s happened over the past decade and how much things have changed for me and this country. On this day in 2001 I was 10 years old, and now I’m 20, going on 21. I’ve lived twice as many days on earth. I’m attending college in a different state now, have different desires and dreams (unfortunately the professional NBA player dream died at age 16 or so, but when I get the chance to play pick-up ball every now and then, it lives on.)

My generation has a unique perspective on these attacks. We weren’t mature enough to understand the motives and attacks themselves when they happened, but as we matured, we were able realize more and more about the twisted world we live in and see how the attacks changed and morphed our country into the state it is in today.

My pastor made a very good point this morning at church, relating Hebrews 12:27-29 to the tragedy:

“27The words “once more” indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our “God is a consuming fire.”

Many men and women started their Tuesday morning 10 years ago as just another normal day, assuming that it would be like every other. This event showed how our world can be changed and shook in just moments forever. Tomorrow is never a guarantee. It’s conforting to know that the Lord promises an unshakeable, eternal kingdom for all who  believe and call His name (Romans 10:13)

In Christ,

Mike

The Great Divide - Pt. 1

This post is long overdue, I’ve been meaning to write about this blog’s name since I created it, and remembered the other week that I haven’t yet.

The name stems from Scott Stapp’s song “The Great Divide”. Check it out below, and I’ll explain more next week. Enjoy!

In Christ,

Mike

New Beginings

It seems like an eternity since I've last blogged. Let me update you on what’s been going on…

I was blessed to be able to attend the Altitude Project 2011, a Christian running camp in Mammoth Lakes, CA for three weeks in late July and early August. I had an awesome time enjoying fellowship from other like-minded college students and young adults from all over North America, growing with the Lord, and getting some training in for the upcoming season. All things training wise didn’t go to plan, I unfortunately got food poisoning the first week, and it took me about two weeks to recover and feel “normal” on runs again. A big part of this was the extremely difficult terrain (many runs up mountains and steep hills) and the lack of oxygen (Mammoth is based at 7,500 ft. above sea level, but many of our runs were at an elevation of 10,000 ft. or higher). All things considered, it was good to go through a mini trial of health before the school year started, it tested me to see where my priorities are. It’s comforting to know that God is in control at all times.

Classes started yesterday, and I’m in for probably my toughest semester I’ll have to experience at Drake (academic wise). My class schedule is:

Physical Chemistry (3 credits)
Physical Chemistry Lab (1 credit)
Advanced Inorganic Chemistry (3 credits)
Inorganic Chemistry Lab (1 Credit)
Applied Differential Equations (3 credits)
Junior Chemistry Seminar I (1 credit)
Analytical Chemistry Research with Dr. Mark Vitha (1 credit)

I’ll be spending a lot of the time in the lab; my guess is 15 hours minimum per week, not including time spent working on reports. This will be good for me though because as of now I am planning on attending graduate school for Analytical or Physical Chemistry, which consists of many, many hours in the lab.

I look forward to blogging about this journey as the semester progresses, I know I will need to manage my time very proficiently in order to do well in class, have a good cross country season, be a good president of the chemistry club, and be involved with bible study and other church activities.

It’s another transition period for me, my adventures in Europe and California have now come to an end and a new semester has begun.

 I was recently reminiscing about high school. Often, some friends and I would go midnight bowling at a local ally. Once the new day struck, they always played the song “Closing Time” by Semisonic. The last line of the song goes, “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” Very fitting right now. It's a great jam, check it out below.

In Christ,

Mike