Casselberry Reflection

Courage & Calling by Gordon T. Smith is a book about embracing one’s God-given potential. He talks about responsibilities and obligations as Christians, and how they are ultimately tied back to God. Smith also focuses on the differences between occupation and vocations, and how we are to navigate through different transitions in one’s life, and how all is linked back to being proper stewards.

This paper is a personal reflection of Team Erie’s performance in Phase One of Capsim.

So, 2015 AEP was no different in the fact that I meant some really exceptional people. I meant a couple and the wife grew up in Costa Rica. This is significant because I want to retire in that region. I meant a lady from Grenda, she made me this bread for Thanksgiving that was delicious. I meant another couple that I can not say enough about because it seems they have lived all over the world and they have these amazing pieces in their home with history and the depth the kind that you have lasting conversations over.

Growing up in a little South Carolina town, Chesnee taught me so much and I would never give it up for the world. I found myself humbled to the utmost of levels and with only an undersized family practice centrally located in the town, the importance of having access to health care was monumental. The doctors in this community were astounding and more so than anything, they had developed relationships with the people of Chesnee that surpassed their call of duty.

In class, we read the book The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. This book was about the crazy childhood Jeanette experienced. Jeanette had to become independent at a very young age, since her parents didn’t seem to take responsibility for their children. She learned how to do many things on her own, like boil hotdogs at the age of three. Jeanette’s family was also always on the move; they drove miles and miles until her parents found a small town where they wanted to settle down for a little while. She became familiar with her dad’s term the “skedaddle,” which means they would just pick up and leave in a hurry. Because of all these sudden changes in Jeanette’s life, she had to start a new life for herself everywhere she went, such as starting a new school, making new friends, and adapting to the way of living in that

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is an autobiography about a young woman’s journey in life. It delves into her childhood, which was as dire as it could become, and how she was able to break her family’s habits and achieve her dreams of becoming a reporter/journalist. There were several significant lessons throughout the story, but what I deemed to be the most valuable lesson was that struggle is important. In the book, struggle is what built Jeannette into who she is today. It drove her to be successful in life, taught her that hope is always out there, and formed her character.

Ever since that hot day in August of 2013, I have found myself to be part of a community that teaches resistance to pain, the value of hard work, and contains an unwavering sense of camaraderie, the Chaminade High School Cross Country and Track teams.

In the beginning of the story when Mack goes to the shack we are told that the scenery changes from a cold wintery wilderness to a warm forest filled with life. God could have changed the scenery to anything but chose that knowing that it could help Mack. Showing that God does care and wants Mack to forgive. On top of that God refers to themselves as Papa the name that Missy called God to bring a more personal kind of atmosphere.

The conclusion is that God has called many people to different areas of service to Him—some in the mission field, some in politics, some in business, and some in many other areas. However, the bottom line is that we are to remain committed to him regardless of what our calling in live is; we are to stand firm for the faith regardless of whether it will cost us the next election. This does not mean that we force our faith on others, it means the opposite. Finally, it means that whenever we can no longer serve Christ as our chief master, we must exit the field and serve Him regardless of the personal cost to

One text that has been incredibly formative in helping me understand my calling is “The Summons”, by Dennis McCallum. This is the story of a young girl being called by God to accept Christ and to share his teachings with others. McCallum uses a narrative format to share several wonderful sermons with the readers. There is one section in particular that touched my heart. The bible study instructor is asking the group to open their hearts to God. “This is what God wants for you tonight. He doesn’t want you to commit to keeping a religious discipline. He wants you to come to Him with empty hands and an honest heart, and forge a relationship with Him” (McCallum, 1993, p. 79). Reading these words forced me to reexamine how I was living my life. I attend church regularly. I even work for my church, but was I really developing my relationship with God? I found that I was going through the motions. I needed to truly commit my whole life to the Lord, not just part-time. My relationship with God needs to be nurtured and cared for, just as any other relationship in my life. That is why I want to attend seminary. I want to learn everything I can about my Lord. I want to be able to share His word with others.

I transferred to the University of Texas last semester in hopes to walk in and make impeccable grades and move my way into the McCombs School of Business. Much to my surprise, my first semester grades fell short of what was needed to even be a competitive applicant for entry to the school. My parents set me up to first receive a practical degree, such as business, then move on to law school. Coming to the end of my sophomore year, where all second-year students must declare a major, I became very lost and scared of what I was to do next. Practically, I always had the backup plan to study economics in the College of Liberal Arts if I didn’t get into McCombs, but when that time came, I knew that economics was not in my heart. Around this time

Since the earliest days of our history, cities have served as the center for economic activity, social diversity, and religious inquiry. As renowned sociologist Joel Kotkin would say, cities are sacred, safe, and busy. When we look at the modern city, we see these concepts in action. Today, cities are defined by mass populations surrounding and creating major centers of commerce and economic activity. This density creates a diverse social climate in which fosters creativity and conversation, which can often times feed into the religious historical significance of cities. This density brings along with it a whole host of issues and various challenges that must be faced by the community in which they involve. One such issue is the idea of socio- economical inequality that comes as a result of dense populations sharing the same resources within a certain area. Within any community there are limited resources, and one such resource within a city is that of land and property availability. Gentrification, or the process in which developers purchase cheap properties to turn them over into more expensive and desirable assets, is a common practice in modern cities in the effort to reclaim some of this precious resource. In looking at the city of Chicago in the United States as well as the city of Lisbon in Portugal, I will

Throughout the course of the book Stevenson made me realize how little I know about the justice system and everything surrounding it. Through statistics and stories he opened my eyes to a whole world that I previously had never explored. It baffled me how hard it is to get things done and people properly taken care of. Initially I was surprised at how under represented public offenders are, but then it started to make sense. Government jobs do not pay well, so it is hard to recruit someone for such a cumbersome job with such little pay. Once that person is there it is even harder to make them do good work if they don't feel they are being appreciated.

This semester I learned a lot about writing in English 151. It has been a roller coaster ride with these essays for me this semester. I learned step by step how to write a good essay and how to have your readers be engaged in what you’re trying to tell them. Each essay I did has taught me something valuable I can take to the next level of English. I feel as if as the semester went by I did not take my writing that seriously and that reflected in my grades I received in each essay. It made me a better student and writer and it will reflect next semester. In this essay, I will reflect on what I learned throughout this semester that you should apply in your writing when you begin English 151.

In this movie we follow common thief named Aladdin who wants a better life for himself and ultimately falls in love with the princess. We learn about his backstory and how he was abandoned as a child and left for the streets. Since then he has made a life for himself along with his companion, a monkey named Abu. We also learn about the princess Jasmine and how she isn’t happy living in the palace so she goes to the streets and there she meets Aladdin. Shortly into the movie Aladdin is helping out Jafar and is taken down and eventually stranded in ‘The Cave of Wonders’ where he stumbles upon a lamp. However this is no ordinary lamp, there is a genie bound to it who appears when someone rubs his lamp they summon the “genie of the lamp”. Aladdin then begins his journey to the top of the food chain with the help of genie who turns him into a prince. Aladdin then competes for Jasmines heart but is turned away when she learns the truth. Jafar then tries to take over Acraba and begins to control the Sultan with magic. He then tries to have Aladdin killed but fails when genie saves his life. The Sultan then discovers, thanks to Aladdin, that Jafar was controlling him and the Sultan has him arrested. The climax of the movie, the battle between Jafar and Aladdin, happens and in the end Aladdin wins and earns Jasmines love.