A Lecture on Art

So a couple of weeks ago, we had something called a Kingdom Conversation--where a Christian in the professional world would talk to us about how he/she is living out his/her life as a Christian and as a professional. A man named John Anderson, a young art professor at Biola University, came and spoke to us. Here are just a few thoughts I wrote down as he was speaking:

• discovering passion
• people who grew up in the church and didn't really struggle shouldn't be disappointed, because there were people (ancestors or grandparents or parents) who wrestled with converting, or with the faith, and then actively passed on the fruit of their labor --> so, see it as a gift and blessing
• ways that I look at the world (means, mode), that hint at my vocation --> leads to my passion/calling
• (Here's where I started thinking, and these are just the ones I came up with at that time) How do I see the world?
• Words
• Beauty
• Love
• Writing
• Math (?)
• Reading
• Not my home (this world, that is)
• Action (taking action physically)
• Unity
• Authenticity
• principles from Andrew Walls (a missiologist, I believe)
• Indigenizing Principle: Gospel must first be lived at home; Christianity doesn't come with a pre-packaged culture
• Pilgrim Principle: Gospel calls us out; never makes us at home; challenges my categories; makes us a perpetual pilgrim
• we engage culture b/c that's what God made us to do --> how we change the world
• know my passion/major/vocation inside and out --> that's how I'll make the most of it

So, the part about how I look at the world--my mean and mode--shook my mind a little. There was planted a seed of doubt....I didn't want to examine it too closely at the time, because I feared a mental tornado that would accomplish a further confusion and guilt in me. Yet I appreciated that doubt, because I knew it would force me to step back from what I thought was my final decision on my Sociology/Hispanic Studies double-major and a probable Global Health Technologies minor.

It forced me to put my priorities in perspective. To be honest, I'm not sure what I would do with the Sociology degree. I would enjoy the classes--that's for sure--but would it increase my skill set for the forthcoming battle against the evils of the world (so dramatic, but it kind of is...)?

...Maybe not. So I questioned myself--how do I see the world? And that list of qualities, although incomplete and scattered and maybe even nonsensical, helped to focus my mind. I realized that anything I go into, whether the fight against human trafficking or something else, would definitely be international. I may or may not be going to law school, but I need an increase of knowledge in an area that will expose me to real needs, real life, and real solutions or methods of solving real problems.

Sooo.........I think I'm changing my major? AND I'M SORRY!!!!!!!!!! I know I've changed my major about 7 bajillion times and each time I've been like, "Dude I think this is totally it, I'm sticking with it, awesome!" but I knowwwww my downfalls and this is definitely one of them hahahahaha sorry I think it's at least a little funny, you know?

Okay I'm gonna stop making excuses for myself now and tell you that I'm considering Policy Studies with a focus on Urban and Social Change (I do see myself working in a big city) instead of Sociology (I'm planning on keeping the other two). I don't think I'll focus on International Affairs because it's too broad/general/political/not enough action in the actual lives of third-world citizens/just not for me although it'd be interesting. I'm also not going to focus on Law and Justice because it's not the best idea to put all your eggs in one basket, so if I end up not going to law school, it'll be slightly useless (not to mention, I'd rather have diversified knowledge). And many of the classes for Urban and Social Change are SOCI classes, and the classes in general look really interesting. Sigh. This means re-registering for classes........but that's really not a big deal.

This was the second thought.