SOUNDING BOARDTHE

the voice of Grace College students since 1953Volume 58 Issue No. 17 Winona Lake, Indiana

February 23, 2012

INDEXvolume 58, issue 17

Meet Jackie Seal, a sophomore at Grace from Flint, Mich. She is a midfi elder on the soccer team and is currently reading the last book in the Hunger Games trilogy. Seal likes Michigan State basketball and watch-ing the news, and she is going to be the new student body president start-ing in fall 2012 — the fi rst female to hold the title in 12 years.

Th e election this year was unique, due to a lack of competition between candidates; Seal was the only student to run for presidency.

Seal said that she was “kind of bummed” that there were no oth-ers running because she would have liked the competition. “It’s unfortu-nate that no one saw [the election] as an opportunity,” said Seal.

She sees this position as one of the more infl uential positions on campus. “I have the opportunity to represent the entire student body and make an impact on campus by

representing student needs and de-sires to faculty and staff ,” said Seal.

Seal is a public relations and marketing double major, with a mi-nor in political science; she has had a passion for politics since tenth grade.

In history class that year, Seal realized that she knew almost noth-ing about the 2008 U.S. presidential candidates. She started watching the news, reading newspapers, and edu-cating herself about politics.

Realizing that she understood what she was learning and truly en-joyed knowing what was going on in the political world, she continued to immerse herself in politics. Seal has worked on several election cam-paigns over the last few years.

In 2008, she volunteered locally for the McCain/Palin campaign; in 2009, she was an intern in Lansing, Mich., at the Michigan Republican Party headquarters; in 2010, she in-terned at a local Republican Party headquarters.

Even though Seal’s new position

is not political, it does involve leading a student government. Instead of po-litical decisions, she makes decisions that concern the student body.

She has held leadership roles in the past, including the position of class president her junior and senior year of high school. Seal has been a class representative in Senate for the past two years.

When asked what previous presidents have done well, Seal re-sponded that this past year’s Student Body President, Jonathan Haag, was creative and encouraged others to be creative in their ideas and problem solving. Also, Haag kept in touch with the student pulse.

Seal looks forward to meeting faculty members on campus, leading the meetings, and gett ing to inter-act with Senate and the students on campus. “I hope to enjoy meeting other students — hearing their ideas and gett ing them accomplished,” Seal said.

She hopes this position will be long-term. A two-year term would

allow her to bring consistency to Senate and create more awareness to the student body of Senate and what they do. She also wants the student body to be aware of her, the role she plays on campus, and her willingness to talk.

She said, “I want stu-dents to realize this and realize that having a stu-dent body president on campus works to their advantage.”

As the year pro-gresses, Seal hopes to accommo-date the growth t h a t

Grace is experiencing. To sustain the growth, Seal said new buildings and other adjustments will have to be made on campus.

She also said she wants to en-courage bett er and more open com-

munication between the stu-dents and faculty.

Short-term goals that Seal has include bringing local and mainstream newspa-pers onto campus, as well as turning one or more of the televi-sions in Alpha dining to a news channel.

Th e student body president holds regu-lar meetings with the Student Senate Ex-ecutive Council and presides over Student Senate meetings. Th e

No one knew what to expect when the event for the Presidential Scholarship Competition weekend was “Let’s Make a Deal” gameshow, but the evening was thrilling.

Instead of the usual gameshow, SAB hosted “Let’s Make a Deal” where audience members wear crazy costumes and win prizes.

Students sat anxiously waiting in Rodeheaver as Gumby ran across the stage to the cheers of his admirers waiting for the show to start.

Gumby was just one of the many costumes that graced the event for the evening. From princesses to fi ghting creatures, students also wore costumes such as Disney’s Princess Belle, beehived hair, a fl ying pirate, and even Pokemon’s Pikachu.

Brock Rhodes and LeAnne Bundenthal hosted the night with their assistants Joey Hamby, Devon Adams and Matt Melendez.

Th e hosts and their assistants brought laughs throughout the night. Th ey hosted various games such as musical hide-and-seek chairs, hula hoopin’, and marshmallow-peanut

butt er toss. Each event featured a twist to

make it more exciting. Ben Giff ord, a participant, said, “I enjoyed being a part of the marshmallow-peanut butt er toss. Th e whole night was so much fun.”

Th e marshmallow-peanut butt er toss required contestants to smear peanut butt er on their face and see how many marshmallows would stick in one minute.

For the Grace campus, this was a new event and idea. In previous years for the Presidential Scholarship Competition, SAB would host a talent show designed to show off the talent of Grace campus. Th ough many loved to watch the talent show, the game show allowed participation by the PSC’ers themselves.

Carly Sprunger, a previous Presidential Scholarship competitor, said that although she preferred the variety that the talent show provides, “the game show did allow the visitors to participate as well as the Grace students which allowed for a more

Jackie Seal elected Student Body President

Election Results: from the Offi ce of Student Aff airsElection Results: from the Offi ce of Student Aff airs

Jackie Seal, 2012-2013 Student Body President | Photo by Cassie Gareiss

SAB hosts gameshow “Let’s Make A Deal”

BY RACHEL J. MINERStaff Writer

First female president in 12 years

BY WHITNEY WORTHENStaff Writer

CONTINUED on page 2

More than 300 votes were cast in the election even though Seal was the only candidate; however, the election featured fewer votes than the two previous years. Seal received 69% of the vote, and Jason Smith received 25% as a write-in candidate. Th e remaining six percent were nine random write-ins.

Game show host Brock Rhodes leads the game of blind-folded musical chairs for PSC students.

CONTINUED on page 2

The weekend in review: photos

page 3

Baby brings changes to Westy

page 4

In search of joy: What does it mean

to be fi lled with joy?page 5

Randy Sterk fi nds unrivaled success on

the track fi eld page 7

2THE SOUNDING BOARD | FEBRUARY 23, 2012

CAMPUS NEWS

Brad Harris is an ad-junct professor

who primarily teaches Personal Finance, but has also taught Ad-vanced Marketing while at Grace. Harris grew up in Terre Haute, Ind.

He att ended Indiana State University and received his degree in accounting, with computer sci-ence as his minor.

Aft er college, Harris att ained his certifi ed public accountant li-cense. Harris received his Masters in management from Indiana Wes-leyan University in 2009.

As his primary job, Harris works for Miller’s Health Systems (Miller’s Merry Manor) managing the marketing and health develop-ment program. Th is is one of sever-al positions Harris has held during his 25 years of working for Miller’s Health Systems. Harris has also worked in auditing, billing, com-puters, and human resources while at Miller’s.

“Each of these jobs gave me experience in building relation-ships, which is great because that is exactly what I think Grace College is all about” says Harris.

Th rough teaching classes, Har-ris hopes to give students tools in all the areas that Grace focuses on as an institution: character, com-petence and service. Harris assigns group projects and homework in his classes that will help students develop in each of these three areas. “Hopefully, I’m bringing them real life practice,” says Harris.

Th e part of the reason he loves teaching at Grace is “Because I love being in touch with this generation.” Harris also says that he thoroughly enjoys gett ing to know his students. He loves att ending Grace sports events and seeing his students out-

side of class. Harris says he gets very emotional when classes end, and he hopes to have made an impact on his students. He teaches and lives by the idea that people have two choices in life: to lift others up or to bring others down.

Outside of teaching at Grace and working for Miller’s Health Systems, Harris also loves get-ting out and enjoying the Winona Lake area. He loves to participate in triathlons, especially the Warsaw Breakfast Optimist Triathlon. Har-ris also enjoys biking through the Winona Lake bike trails, spending time with his family and grandkids, and being a sports spectator. Read-ing is also one of Harris’ beloved pastimes.

Harris and his family att end Warsaw Community Church, where he also enjoys teaching kindergarten through fi rst grade Sunday-school classes. Harris says lightheartedly, “My wife says the reason I do so well at teaching K-1 is because I’m already at that level.”

Writt en by Alex Lerner

Calla Andrews cur-rently teaches

Eff ective Writing and also is a part of the Global Perspectives team. She helps in the literature and cul-ture parts of the Global Perspec-tives class.

Andrews was born in the Central African Republic, where her parents were missionaries. When she was fi ve and a half, her parents moved back to the U.S. to live in Winona Lake.

Both Andrews’ father and mother taught classes at Grace. Her father had been batt ling can-cer and passed away in 1973.

Andrews continued to live in Winona Lake through college, and graduated from Grace with a degree in English Education with a history minor in 1988. She completed her student teaching at Warsaw Community High School when it was located at the Lake- view Middle School building.

During her years at Grace, Andrews sat under the teaching of Dr. Sauders, Prof. Benyousky, Dr. Edgington, Dr. Forbes, and Dr. Manahan. Andrews says, “I thoroughly enjoyed my Old Tes-tament class with Dr. Manahan and very much liked him as a pro-fessor.”

Aft er graduation in 1988, Andrews moved to Southern Cal-ifornia, where she took a teaching position at Brethren Christian High School. Andrews became familiar with Southern California when she and her brother, Kip Cone, spent the summer of 1986 in Long Beach living with friends of the family.

Cone is part of the pasto-ral team at Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church, where Andrews

also att ends. It was the summer of 1986 that she met her husband Marc, whom she married in 1990 at Long Beach Grace Brethren.

Andrews and her family moved back to Winona Lake in 2006. Outside of teaching at Grace, Andrews also substitutes at Warsaw Community High School one to two times a week. Th rough her classes at Grace, An-drews hopes to equip students with the skills to do well in writ-ing throughout the remainder of their college career.

“I love teaching in a Chris-tian atmosphere and being able to prayer before class and with my students” says Andrews. She adds that she likes her students very much and loves seeing students have high aspirations and goals.

Outside of Grace, Andrews enjoys walking her dog through the Winona Lake bike trails. One of her favorite hobbies is to cook, and she especially enjoys baking with her daughter.

Writt en by Alex Lerner

GETTING TO KNOW YOU: Meet adjunct professors Brad Harris and Calla Andrews

InBriefAn Evening of Worship

Students are invited to

an evening of worship

on Thursday, Feb. 23,

at 9:15 p.m. in McClain

Auditorium. The event is

led by Vachal Moore Jr. and

faculty leader Dr. Norris.

The Grace College

Comedy Hour

(and a half)

The Grace College

Comedy Hour features a

student-led sketch and

improv show that lasts

110 minutes! Come and

enjoy the Grace version of

“Whose Line Is It Anyway?”

and “Saturday Night Live.”

Admission is free. Show

dates are Feb. 23 and 24,

and March 1-3 at 8 p.m. in

the Little Theatre.

Gaming Competition

Westminster Basement

Committee will host a

gaming competition on

Friday, Feb. 24, from 7-10

p.m. in the former Westy

Grille.

TP TOWER- Matt Melen-dez displays the tower of toilet paper prize in SAB’S game-show “Let’s Make a Deal” on Saturday, Feb. 20 in Rodeheaver Auditorium. Luckily, no one went away with the toilet paper prize.

Photo by Cassie Gareiss

president also meets with the Student Government Adviser (Aaron Crabtree) and att ends faculty meetings over the course of the year.

Seal brings a unique per-spective to the leadership on

campus as a student athlete. However, she said there will be challenges with being the Stu-dent Body President and an ath-lete. Seal expects to learn a lot about time management in the coming year.

Jackie’s Jackie’s

Top 10Top 10

CONTINUED FROM FRONT: Seal brings a unique perspective as a student athlete

Cassie Gareiss | Sounding Board Photo equal entertainment for both groups of audiences.”Th e event provided unique prizes to the winners and losers of every

activity. A participant could win anything from a pyramid of toilet paper to a Kindle.

Timothy Trapp, who did not win an event but received Girl Scout cookies as a consolation prize, said he thought the prizes fi t the event and were useful to the students, both high school and college.

Rarely did a student actually pick the wrong prize and get “Zonked.” Th e fi rst prize of the night was a pair of Pacer’s tickets. Other prizes included a gift card to Cerulean and Forever 21, a movie package, Under Armour apparel, and a Hurley backpack.

CONTINUED FROM FRONT: SAB GAMESHOW

Jackie Seal is the fi rst female President in 12 years.

Alpha Meal: Chocolate chip pancakesGrace College class: American Government withProfessor ElrodTV Show: Arrested Development & Parks and RecreationNewspaper: Washington Examiner Local Restaurant: Maria’sBook: Th e Hunger GamesSoccer player: Mia HammPresident: Calvin Coolidge Sport to watch: Big 10/Michigan State BasketballWeekend activity: 1/2 off appetizers at Applebees

3THE SOUNDING BOARD | FEBRUARY 23, 2012

CAMPUS NEWS

PHOTO BRIEFSclockwise from top:

Top: Visitors examine the senior art exhibit “Not

Quite Ready,” at the artist’s reception on Friday,

Feb. 17.

Middle: Ambassadors Brian Schaum, Ben Hyde

and Emily Hubbard play Banana Grams with high

school seniors competing in the Presidential

Scholarship Competition on Saturday, Feb. 18.

Bottom: Members of the Black Student Assoca-

tion prepare their historical demonstration “A

Colored Progression,” highlighting famous Afri-

can Americans in history on Thursday, Feb. 15.

Photography by Cassie Gareiss and Scott Schloss

Th ough some of us students may at times be tempted to complain about rules on campus, there are a few peo-ple here who can shed light on what the rules used to be like.

Rules have changed at Grace over the last forty years. For instance, Dr. Sauders, head of the English depart-ment, told me about when she went to school here. Girls always had to wear skirts – no pants allowed. Every-one had curfew: 10 on weekdays and 11 on weekends. Th ere was manda-tory church att endance, enforced by RA s, and women were to wear hats to church.

All dates had to be double dates. Also, not very many students had cars. If a freshman couple wanted to go out, they oft en had to fi nd a senior or up-perclassman with a car who would double date with them.

Dr. Sauders moved into the new-ly built Alpha between semesters of her senior year. Before that, Grace stu-dents ate in the dining rooms at what is now Westy dorm. Students sat at tables and ate a family-style meal. Each table had a “table head,” who was an upper-classmen responsible for making sure everyone at the table got something to eat. Grace rented the space and the

food service, and there were set times for each meal. If students had to work or were late for any reason, they may not have received any food.

However, once Alpha Dining was built, it did not fi x all the dinner dilem-mas. Th ere were still a few regulations that students felt could not remain. Students were restricted to one glass of milk, or whatever beverage they chose (there were fewer choices than there are now). Th is led to what Dr. Sauders dubbed the “Great Milk Rebellion.”

A group of Grace men picketed outside of Alpha, which was quite the aff air for Grace College. Th ey accom-plished their goal, and we can thank the boys of the “Great Milk Rebellion” for the unlimited drinks in Alpha.

When Professor Mike Yocum was a student in the late 70s, some rules were diff erent, but there were still fewer liberties than current stu-dents enjoy.

In his day, girls were allowed to wear slacks “when cold weather hit,” but jeans and shorts were not permit-ted. Men were not to grow beards, although mustaches were acceptable. Open dorms only rolled around “once or twice a year around Christmas and just for a few hours on one evening,” Yocum said. Th e TVs in the dorm only received 4 or 5 channels.

Movie theater att endance, once

it became legal, was regulated by the discernment policy. If a student went to see a movie, he had to do a write-up on the values and learning opportuni-ties of the movie. Th e write-up would be posted on the hall bulletin board so that others could benefi t from it as well.

When Jim Swanson became Dean of Students, there was a lot of transition and upheaval happening, as administration decided their main mission.

Th e result was, as Dr. Swanson explained, “philosophy change from being a parent in control to being side

by side with the students.” Since then, rules have been

changed or abolished. Rules pro-hibiting jeans on campus, clothes or posters with non-Christian bands on them, secular records or tapes, tatt oos, earrings (for men), nose rings and “ex-treme hairstyles” were abolished.

Aaron Crabtree explained that a lot of the rules were unnecessary and based on “fear of the excess,” because it is easier to make a blanket rule than to confront individuals.

Th e most signifi cant changes in policy have been in regard to alcohol, dancing, and movies. Th ese things went from being completely banned to being regulated. Th e changes hap-pened mainly for the sake of enforce-ability and their changing signifi cance in our culture. Administration seeks to be realistic and respect the author-ity of students’ families and churches, during the summer when students are home.

Th e Grace College Student Handbook has received an overhaul in the past decade. Students will always have something to complain about, but Grace is a very diff erent college than it was forty years ago, even fi ft een years ago. A lot of thought has gone into the rules we have now. According to Stu-dent Aff airs, the rules exist for the sake of a healthy campus environment.

4THE SOUNDING BOARD | FEBRUARY 23, 2012

FEATURES

Six months into their marriage, John and Janelle Ditmer were told that they would have a one percent chance of pregnancy. Doctors told the couple to give up on natural pregnancy and to start medical in-tervention.

John Ditmer told his wife, “I think God really wants to use this for his glory”. Th e couple decided to for-go intervention. Th ey were pregnant within three months. “Th e Lord’s hand is really on Aiden,” Janelle said. “He’s defi nitely God’s gift to us.”

Janelle Ditmer is the fi rst Resi-dent Director to have a child while being a full-time Grace College em-ployee.

From the time Ditmer was sev-en weeks pregnant to the beginning of her maternity leave, Grace College faculty reviewed several diff erent proposals for her maternity leave.

“Aaron Crabtree, Jim Swanson, and HR wanted to make sure I was taken care of, that the department was taken care of, and that the stu-dents were looked aft er well,” Janelle said. “Th e students being looked af-ter well was a big priority for us all.” She said that the end of her mater-nity leave is a fi xed date in early to mid-April.

Ditmer’s maternity leave plan includes the additional hours that Assistant Resident Director, David Lantz, will be working. In addition to Lantz, senior Resident Director

Emily Brenneman and Resident Di-rector Ashley House have picked up oversight hours in regards to work-ing with Westminster and Perim-eter Halls. Even Crabtree has been involved in the process. “I’ve been impressed at how accommodating Westminster leadership has been,” Crabtree said. “Dave and the Resi-dent Assistants (RA s) have stepped up.”

Leadership Steps UpKnown as ARD of Westminster

and Perimeter Halls (Gamma C and Townhouse), David Lantz, graduate of Grace College since last May, has been given a new title with Ditmer’s maternity leave - Interim Resident Director (IRD). With the new name comes new responsibilities and in-creased working hours. Lantz enjoys being an IRD because of the routine schedule. Lantz’s goal is to “build connections and fi ll in the gap.” “I’m not Janelle, and I can’t do her job, but I can do the best I can,” Lantz said. Lantz praises the Westminster and Perimeter Hall cluster, claiming that it is “the closest cluster of RA s I’ve ever seen”.

Ditmer’s coworkers are excited for the new baby. According to ARD David Lantz, “With the Ditmers as parents, Aiden will have to turn out to be the coolest thing I can think of, which is a 6 ft . 5 lumberjack with a large beard and lots of fl annel shirts who runs his own maple syrup pan-cake shop in the mornings.”

Lantz said that the residents were excited for the Ditmers during

the pregnancy. One resident gave the baby a nickname - Zebadiah, or Zebby, for short.

Westy 4 East Growth Group Leader, Nina Ferry, came up with an idea for the name while baby-name-brainstorming with other Westy leadership in Janelle’s offi ce.

“Janelle wanted one that meant ‘God provided,’” Ferry said. “Later, I googled names that meant that and Zebadiah came up. I shortened it down to Zebby, and it just kinda stuck.”

How Aiden Got His NameJanelle and John Ditmer had

seen the name Aiden in a baby book. One night while they were driving, Janelle asked her husband, “If you could pick one name right now, what would it be?” Both agreed on Aiden that night. Turns out, Aiden means “litt le fi re.” Janelle Ditmer laughs when she explains that Aiden kicked all the time during pregnancy. Dit-mer found out through her father-in-law that Aiden is also the fi rst name

for A.W. Tozer, an author and spiri-tual mentor whose books and tes-timony have signifi cantly impacted both Janelle and John.

Ditmer’s preparation for mater-nity leave didn’t change the nature of her job. As an RD, Ditmer con-sistently asks herself the question, “What do students need? How can we serve them?” Ditmer, during her preparation for leave, att ended na-tional conferences and talked with numerous RDs and faculty from oth-er academic institutions to hear both the positive and negatives of being a “working mom.” Ditmer asked her-self, “Is this something that’s done out of necessity or is it something beautiful and really good?”

Ditmer considers it a blessing to be able to model a Christian family for her residents. Ditmer invites stu-dents to see how she handles being a woman and an RD, particularly as a mother. Ditmer had several con-versations with students during her pregnancy about the experience. Ditmer said that “having these con-versations has been really powerful.” Grace College off ers marriage and family classes, but students can now observe a mother at close range and know that having a baby doesn’t need to be isolating or strange.

Ditmer already sees how Aiden has been able to break down barriers with residents. He has even acted as a conversation starter. However, as Lantz said, the Ditmers are “not going to use Aiden

as a means to connect with students. He’s not just a tool, but they do want students to be part of their lives”.

Baby Aiden has personally im-pacted the Ditmers. Janelle Ditmer understands the gospel in a richer context: “We basically poop and pee and cry, and he still sent his son to die on the cross for us,” Ditmer said. “I think that’s made our relationship with God more intimate.”

Ditmer should return to her RD position early to mid-April. Ditmer and Lantz’s current concern is consistency in leadership from switching back aft er maternity leave. Th e Ditmers are “studying Aiden to make a decision [regarding contract renewal] to meet his needs -- and look at dorm needs, and Janelle’s own needs.”

The birth of a child brings changes to Westminster

A look back in history: The evolution of Grace rules

BY MARY ELLEN DUNNStaff Writer

BY JOY MARTINStaff Writer

When asked about future play-dates with RD Dan McNamara’s children, Ditmer said, “Aiden’s such a charmer. We want to protect and guard Gigi and Adelaide’s hearts”.

McNamara saids, “My wife and I already have an arranged marriage planned with our pastor’s son, Kai, so Janelle will have to backdown. Aiden will have to be a real charmer to win the day here because in our minds, it’s already a done deal. We‘re sold on Kai.”

McNamara considers raising children in college housing “nothing but a positive experience.” His eldest daughter, Gianna, is able to receive a high level of social input, being surrounded by college students and living next to Jeff erson Elementary School. Citing Beta fi eld and the

long hallways in Kent, as well as the rest of campus, McNamara saids that “the places to run are priceless.”

“Let’s be honest,” McNamara added, “there are a lot of babysit-ters”.

Aaron Crabtree thinks the new addition to campus is “healthy.”

“College is unique because everyone is the same age. It’s a reminder that you can’t be a college student your whole life.”

Kids add an interesting dy-namic to campus life, and “they’re the reason for high chairs in Alpha dining,” Crabtree said.

Kids on Campus: RD

Dan McNamara shares

How was the Dark Knight?!

Did you write a page report for the hall?

Is that yoursecond glass?

Where’s your Sunday hat?

Did you forget your double date?

“With the Ditmer’s as

parents, Aiden will have

to turn out to be the

coolest thing I can think

of, which is a 6 ft. 5 lum-

berjack with a large

beard and lots of fl annel

shirts...” -Dave Lantz

5THE SOUNDING BOARD | FEBRUARY 23, 2012

PERSPECTIVES

Th ere are three generally ac-knowledged obligations that we expect ourselves to fulfi ll as Chris-tians. We’ve all used the JOY acros-tic, though ironically, we oft en ap-proach them in the opposite order:

1. You: Your obligation to yourself: how to be happy, healthy and safe.

2. Others: Your obligation to the world: how we take care of oth-ers and fi nd a useful niche or pur-pose.

3. Jesus: Your obligation to God: how you serve him with heart-soul-mind-and-strength, how you run the race with endurance, strive for holiness and obedience, etc.

Now, there is a generally known (if not acknowledged) way of handling these obligations, as I stated. To fulfi ll them you have to 1. Do whatever it takes to be happy healthy and safe, 2. Do good things because people need you to, and 3. Obey God because he commanded you to.

It sounds simple. Sure. But then sometimes these people come along and say things that upset the as-sumed balance of how these obliga-tions are carried out. I’ve compiled a short list of what people have said on each of these areas. (I’m a quoter

– If somebody else says something bet-ter than I do, then I’ll let them say it!)

To the fi rst obligation, here comes John Eldredge, author of “Wild At Heart,” who says:

“Th ere are three desires I fi nd writt en so deeply into my heart I know now I can no longer disregard them without losing my soul…” Th e three desires kick off his list of “What Every Man Is Made Of,” and the list is: 1) a batt le to fi ght, 2) an adventure to live, and 3) a beauty to rescue – (though, as a woman not in need of a Beauty To Rescue, I think that my third need aligns more in the area of being useful, on giving some-thing that is needed to somebody who needs it – a rescue of sorts, I suppose).

Now, maybe I’m the only one, but this sounds a lot diff erent than the whole Happy Healthy Safe idea! Batt les and Danger and Res-cuing are not guaranteed happy, or healthy, and especially not safe!

To the second obligation, Gil Baile upsets the whole process of fi nding a way to be useful:

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

What can I say to that? Upside down or what?

And to the last obligation per-haps is the biggest upset. Aft er lis-

tening to a sermon one day on “run-ning the race” and focusing hard on obedience to Christ, I was walking out of the chapel trying to set my jaw, realign. My friend Will Th rash-er, not usually a man of many words, (or maybe I just didn’t expect it) said suddenly, “You can run the race with endurance, but if you don’t have the joy to live, you’re DONE.”

And he left me with my jaw hanging open.Because he’s SO RIGHT.Because I’ve been there. I’ve been in that jaw-set, joyless dry time, and it’s like he said –it’s like the end of a race when things are going so well, you may even be edging ahead, and then…your muscles suddenly stop working. You pull and reach and grit your teeth. You fl ail your arms. Your

legs turn to jelly. And you feel like you are going nowhere. Collapse across the fi nish line. Forget fi nish-ing strong, just trying to survive.

Th at’s not the way it is sup-posed to be!

I’ve been fi ghting my own batt le with this soul-desire concept. Here’s the truth: Desperate, far-reaching, crazy desires do not fi t in to the neat litt le box of our culture. Deep hopes and dreams aren’t always “Th is is what a person should do to be hap-py, healthy, and safe.”

It’s like the monsters said, in “Where the Wild Th ings Are”:“Happiness isn’t always the best way to be happy, anyway.”

I think they’re right. “Hap-piness” is a shallow goal at best. I think that I need to be coming alive, embracing danger, being as whole as possible on this broken earth, in order to be most useful. I need to be engaged in life’s batt les, in tune with my God-given desires, and seeking out the joy of the Lord! (For the record, JOY = way diff erent than happy.)

“God just wants you to be hap-py” may be bogus, but joy is another matt er. God calls us to run the race with endurance, but, as Peter wrote in I Peter, we can do so because we are fi lled with his inexpressible, glo-rious joy that gives us strength to run, to fi ght, to be used by Him!

(Also for the record – receiving joy does require obedience. In case any-one was confused.)

A few years ago I made a pact with myself to put myself out there. To take risks. To not let the world’s ideas take precedence. And I’m go-ing for it!

I know there will be a lot of reevaluating to be done. Scratch that. I think there will be a lot of FACEPLANTS and reconstructive surgery to be done! Figuring out the diff erence between my selfi sh desires and my God-given desires requires constant refocus, since my own sinful ones tend to vie for my att ention.

It’s a risk. I might fail. I will fail. But not to try is at the peril of my own soul, and with it the work that God is doing and what he wishes to do in the future. And fortunately, He’s got my back. And my pupils. And my footsteps.

I’ll let you know how it goes.As a last note on the de-

sires thing, I’m with Mumford and Sons, and learned the hard way and now I’m saying, “God,here are my desires/and I will give them up to You this time around!

“/and so I’ll be found/with my stake stuck in this ground/marking the territory of/this beauty-impas-sioned soul.”

(hallelujah amen.)

I did not know what Lent was until my junior year of high school.

L e n t was among the buzz words with

my friends. I heard them asking “What

are you giving up for Lent?” Th ey said they were giving up chocolate, and I was confused. I did not un-derstand this thing called Lent and did not know the expected norms. Do I have to give up chocolate too? Why would I do that? Does this mean no desserts too?

Since Lent is largely observed

by Catholic, Lutheran, and Or-thodox Christians I was really at a loss. At that time, Catholic meant something scary to me, something

I didn’t understand outside of my evangelical, non-denominational background. I was told “their’s is a works based faith,” and mine was solia fi de all the way.

Th en I learned that it was not just Catholics and Lutherans who observed Lent, but Presbyterians and Methodists too.

Fast forward fi ve years and I am fi nishing my senior semester of college, and I do not understand why more churches do not observe Lent.

I have tried observing it over the years and get halfway through and then give up, or I never re-ally made a committ ment to doing anything.

Some of my friends observe it quasi-religiously. I tried to give up desserts one year, but then my birthday fell during the season and I gave in.

Th e purpose and practice of Lent is to spend time in prayer, penance and sacrifi ce in prepara-tion for Easter. It lasts 40 days and begins on Ash Wednesday.

Like I said before, I do not understand why more evangelical churches do not encourage observ-ing Lent. Is it because we would be trying to do good works? Or is it

because it is focused on tradition? Or because it is a man made thing?

While those who adhere to Lent more strictly practice fasting and abstaining from meat on Fri-days, others do not.

And while some may scorn the Lenten practices as something that is merely doing “good works,” it brings about discipline. And dis-cipline is something lacking greatly in our world and in me.

In our “I deserve everything, I am entitled” mentality, maybe we should take aside the time to real-ize that “from dust we came and to dust we will return.”

Th is life is gift . We get heaven when we deserve hell. It is that simple. Lent should make us look at our sinfulness, our need for a Savior and say, “Hallelujah! I am redeemed!”

Normally, the sentiment is this: what are you giving up for

Lent? I could give up chocolate, Facebook, and desserts, but I should look at it this way: why not say goodbye to those things that hinder my Christian walk for good?

40 days is a short amount of time, but it is also a long amount of time to people who have a hard time being disciplined. Th e focus of Lent is to repent of sin, to re-new our faith, and to prepare to celebrate the mysteries of our sal-vation.

Lent reminds us what the Fa-ther has done for us, and of His salvation.

Th e only problem with Lent is that if you do not include prayer and Scripture, you are doing it all for nothing. For all my fellow stu-dents observing Lent, I beseech thee, let Christ be your focus, and let us rejoice in the wonderful mys-tery of our salvation.

BY OCTAVIA LEHMANEditor-in-Chief

The season of Lent begins: Understanding the meaning

We turn JOY backwards when it’s already upside down

SOUNDING BOARDTHE

the voice of Grace College students since 1953

The Sounding Board is a weekly publication of Grace Student Organizations and the Journalism Classes at Grace College. The Sounding Board exists to glorify God by impacting people’s lives with relevant and timely news that connects them with the campus and the greater com-munity, by providing excellent education in the field of journalism and by acting as a medium of student expression. Editorials and opinions are those of student journalists and do not necessarily represent the official view of the administration of Grace College. All copy, art, and photog-raphy are property of The Sounding Board and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the editor. Letters/replies are encouraged and must be signed. Letters are limited to 250 words and The Sounding Board reserves the right to print and edit for length and content as neces-sary. The Sounding Board is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press and is printed in cooperation with The Papers, Inc. Please send emails to: soundingboard@grace.edu.

Grace College, 200 Seminary Dr., Winona Lake, IN 46590

Staff Writers: Mary Ellen Dunn Megan Snyder Whitney WorthenMariJean Wegert Katie Graham Alex LernerHaley Bradfield Rachel Miner Paul MoralesJoy Martin Rachel Scoles

Advisor: Dr. Sauders

Editor-in-Chief: Octavia LehmanCopy Editor: Ethan ShecklerSports Editor: Zane Gard

Layout Editor: Josh DillmanPhotography Editor: Cassie GareissWeb Editor: Jonathan Haag

BY MARIJEAN WEGERTStaff Writer

“You can run

the race with

endurance, but

if you don’t have

the joy to live,

you’re DONE.”

I was told “their’s

is a works-based

faith” and mine

was solia fi de all

the way.

6THE SOUNDING BOARD | FEBRUARY 23, 2012

SPORTS

- Sports Information

When the NAIA Divi-sion II National Champion-ship tournament seeding is announced in a week, senior basketball player Jacob Peat-tie will make history.

Many players have earned MCC All-Conference honors in Grace history. Peattie has not. 42 players have topped the 1,000 career point mark. Peattie has not scored 500 points in his career yet.

So what is the difference between him and every oth-er Grace basketball player in school history? No one has been to more NAIA Division II National Championship tournaments than Peattie. He will be going to his fourth in five years at Grace. In fact, the one year he did not play

is the only year that the team did not get an invitation to go to Branson.

Talking about the hon-or, Peattie said, “It is a great honor to be the first Lancer to play in four NAIA nation-al tournaments. I have been fortunate to play with some great players during my time at Grace.”

In the last five years, Pe-attie has played whatever his role on the team was, whether it was coming off the bench for only a few minutes or be-ing a starter.

In Peattie’s freshman year, the Lancers had one of the most talented teams Grace has seen in a decade. Peattie was also not a big-name player coming out of high school. Consequently, he did not play very much as

a freshman. The team ended up losing in the Elite Eight at the national tournament to Oregon Tech University, who would go on to win the tournament. Yet the expe-rience of being in the Elite Eight was big for Peattie, who wanted to contribute more the following year.

“After the season, I real-ized that because two of our starting guards were gradu-ating, I was going to have the opportunity to earn some playing time if I improved over the summer,” said Peat-tie.

His sophomore year the team had very high expec-tations, with Branson again being the goal. This time, Peattie would need to play a bigger part in getting there. Austin Kaiser had a season-ending injury that year which

meant Peattie would have to step up even more, and he did, scoring a season high 12 points in the Elite Eight in Branson.

“I was able to contribute on the court more than my freshman year which made it more special and more mem-orable,” said Peattie.

His sophomore year gave him great confidence going into the 2009-2010 season. There was just one problem. Peattie had a back injury that caused him to miss the en-tire season and redshirt that year. That year the team had to settle for going to the NC-CAA Nation Championship tournament. That year off not only helped Peattie grow as a player but more as a per-son.

“Being injured allowed me to step back and real-ize that there is much more to life than basketball. I put too much of my identity into basketball and what people thought of me as a player. My relationship with Christ is most important. I am so thankful for the ability to run and jump and play the game I love,” said Peattie.

Out of all four years, his junior year was most disap-pointing to him. He went in the season under a lot of pressure because of expecta-tions coming off the injury. The team made it to Bran-son but was upset in the first round. Peattie was not a huge factor in the loss, but was an important factor in making it to Branson. This led to his

senior year full of expecta-tions for the team.

Going into the season ranked in the top ten of the NAIA Division II Top 25 Poll, the Lancers knew their expectations. So far they have not disappointed. They have remained in the top ten in every weekly poll during the regular season. Now they are, in all likelihood, headed to Branson with a predomi-nantly senior-led team that includes Peattie. The goal: a national championship.

As the only player on the team to go to Branson four times, Peattie will need to step up as a senior leader in order for this to happen.

“Personally, I am deter-mined to play with confi-dence and do whatever I have to do to help our team reach its potential,” said Peattie.

The fact that Peattie is the only player in school his-tory to go to NAIA Division II National Championship tournaments is a great hon-or. While Peattie will have four appearances alone, the top five scorers in Grace his-tory have combined for only three NAIA tournament ap-pearances. Even stranger is the fact that Peattie has never been the star, but has always been the perfect role player to help his team win 91 games so far in his career.

Not only a great team-mate, Peattie is a winner.

One for the record booksby MICHAEL BLEVINS

Sports Writer

Player of the WeekElliot Smith, Men’s Basketball

Elliot Smith is this week’s Player of the Week for his ef-forts off the court.

A junior, Smith was included as a Th ird Team selection for Capital One Academic All-America®, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Th e Capital One College Di-vision Academic All-America® basketball teams are comprised of student-athletes from NAIA,

Canadian and two-year institutions who have earned at least a 3.3 GPA. Smith currently holds a 3.91 GPA and studies accounting.

WINONA LAKE, Ind. – Grace’s volleyball team swept the weeky awards from the Mid-Central Col-lege Conference.

Stephanie Lawson was named the Player of the Week and the Hitter of the Week, Rachel Bult was the Setter of the Week, and Bethany Whitcraft rounded out the awards with the Libero of the Week.

Lawson averaged 11 kills in six wins on the week for the Lady Lancers. She amassed a match-high 17 kills in a three-set victory over Union (Ky.) and also tallied six service aces and turned in 18 digs in a 3-2 win over Shorter College.

Bult has been a key factor to Grace’s current eight-game winning streak, including a perfect 6-0 record this week. She had a tremendous 41 assists in a three-game set over No. 22 Indiana Wesleyan and also recorded 57 assists against Shorter College.

Whitcraft tallied double-digit digs in three of Grace’s wins, helping the Lady Lancers to a perfect week. In their win over Shorter College, she tallied an incredible 30 digs (a new career high).

Grace is currently in the heart of the MCC season with away matches on Friday (Bethel, 7 p.m.) and Saturday (Goshen, 3 p.m.).

-Sports Information

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Grace’s turnovers haunted them throughout their 72-62 loss to Saint Francis in the fi rst round of the 2012 Mid-Central College Conference Tournament on Tuesday.

Th e Lady Lancers (18-13) gave up 20 turnovers and could not quite fi nish off their late comeback bid against the Cougars (19-12).

Grace, who entered the MCC Tournament as the No. 5 seed, played well to start the tournament and opened up a 20-14 lead midway through the fi rst half, but Grace’s turnovers started to pile up soon aft erward, and Grace would not taste the lead aft er the start of the second half.

For the game, Grace managed to take seven more fi eld goal att empts and won the rebounding batt le by 10 (42-32). Saint Francis had a major advantage in turnovers by only committ ing 11 turnovers and grabbing 12 steals.

Grace struggled to just 38.7 percent shooting on the night, including a 5-for-20 performance from beyond the arc (25 percent). Th e Cougars also benefi ted from the free throw line with 26 att empts compared to 10 for the Lady Lancers.

Cashier paced Grace with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. Gray fi nished with 12 points and three boards, and Juaneice Jackson added 10 points off the bench.

Cougars knock out Lady Lancers in MCC QuarterfinalsThis week in Lancer Athletics...

Senior Jacob Peatt ie, # 21, has had some highlight dunks during his career at Grace.

7THE SOUNDING BOARD | FEBRUARY 23, 2012

SPORTSKNOW YOUR

5 number of Grace basketball players to get All-Conference honors in the MCC

3 events R andy Sterk has qualifid tocompete in at the NAIA Indoor Championships

3 All-American honors earned by the track team at the NCCAA National Championships on Feb. 18

21 current place of senior Duke Johnson, men’sbasketball, on Grace’scareer scoring list

3 the number of Grace basketball players (Hannah Lengel, Elliot Smith, Duke Johnson) to be namedCoSIDA AcademicAll-District on Feb. 17

Randy Sterk never wanted to be track star.

Yet Sterk has become suc-cessful, not as a professional baseball player - his childhood dream - but as a track run-ner. In fact, over the last three weeks, Sterk has been named the Mid-Central College Con-ference Indoor Track Athlete of the Week twice.

Th ough Sterk is having a phenomenal year, he has not always been the outstanding runner he is today. Growing up, he instead preferred play-ing basketball and baseball. But upon entering college, he moved on from his two child-hood sports because he felt that he would be a bett er run-ner and he decided to pursue track.

“Th e only reason I run is for the race. I’m not one of those runners who run just to run. I like the competition of racing,” Sterk said.

Th is competitive att itude is also seen in Sterk’s running im-provement throughout his col-lege years. Over the past three years, Sterk has seen steady im-provement, placing fi ft h at the NCCAA Nationals in the 800-meter race his sophomore year and qualifi ed for the NAIA Outdoor Championships in the 1500-meterrace last year.

Th is year, though, is by far Sterk’s best. Th is year, Sterk took fi rst place in each of his fi rst four races. He won both the mile and the 800-meter race at the Trine Invitational and set a meet record with his 4:18.44 time in the mile at the Wildcat Invitational. His success has led him to the NCCAA National Champion-ships, where he placed second with the distance medley relay team and third in the mile.

Sterk will be a busy man at the NAIA Indoor Champion-ships that take place on March 1-3. His time at the Trine In-vitational automatically quali-fi ed him for the mile and his second-place fi nish with the distance medley relay also qualifi ed for the Champion-ships. In addition to those two events, Sterk also qualifi ed for the NAIA Indoor Champion-ships in the 1,000-meter race on Jan. 21 at the IWU classic.

Sterk, who says he is “mo-tivated when people think I can’t do something,” believes that the success he has had this season is a direct result of wanting to prove to people that he can be a great runner, and to the vast amount of run-ning he did in preparation for this season.

His track coach, Jeff Ray-mond, has also noticed his hard work. “Randy is very dedicated. He will do the small things like lift weights and run

in the off season. Th is dedica-tion is what I think has gott en him to where he is this season,” he said.

Sterk said he is excited for this upcoming outdoor season because he would also like to make an appearance in the NAIA Outdoor Champion-ships, a chance Raymond think he has a good shot at because of his mental focus.

“He has a lot of potential to do well at Nationals with the way this year has been going,” said Raymond. “Some runners don’t believe in themselves, but Randy is confi dent--not cocky - and realizes that he is

a good runner and uses that to get through the mental tough-ness of a long distance race.”

Ever since childhood, Sterk has wanted to be the best. Sterk has four younger brothers with whom he grew up playing bas-ketball, baseball, or any other sport in the driveway or yard. From that moment on, profes-sional baseball was his goal.

Fortunately for the Grace track team, Sterk never did reach his childhood dream.

by HOLLY BENNETT

Sports Writer

Year: SeniorHonor: First Team

All-MCC Conference

PPG: 10.8RPG: 5.9

Year: SeniorHonor: Honorable Mention

All-MCC Conference

PPG: 8.9RPG: 6.1

Year: JuniorHonors: First Team

All-MCC Conference,

MCC All-Defensive Team

PPG: 18.0APG: 4.4

Year: SeniorHonor: Second Team

All-MCC Conference

PPG: 14.0RPG: 6.2

Year: SophomoreHonor: Third Team

All-MCC Conference

PPG: 11.8APG: 7.5

Five Lancers Receive All-Conference Honors

Duke JohnsonBruce GrimmHayley CashierDanielle Boykin Greg Miller

Sterk fi nds unrivaled track success

10:25.91 the time the men’s distance medley relay ran to place second an the NCCAA NationalChampionships

13 members in LadyLancer basketballprogram’s 1,000 point club, which HayleyCashier joined this year

3 the number of schoolrecords broken at theNCCAA NationalChampionships by the track team

-Sports Information

Randy Sterk has seen four years of hard work pay off in an excellent senior track season so far.

NU

MB

ER

S

With infl uences like Simon and Garkfunkel and Carole King, Au-drey Assad does not bet on making average Christian music.

Th e talented singer/songwrit-er released her sophomore album “Heart” ironically on Valentine’s Day, delving into the issues of love and relationships.

Th e album continues her ma-ture, heartfelt lyrics with a blend of jazz, piano, and soul.

Her debut release in 2010, “Th e House You’re Building” was named Amazon.com’s “Best Christian Mu-sic of 2010” and iTunes “Break-through Album of the Year” for the Christian Gospel genre. Awards aside, Assad’s music is mature, bal-anced and deep.

If her fi rst album proved that she had mad skill as a writer and singer, “Heart” does that again with a deeper level of maturity.

Assad’s fi rst year of marriage was the framework for the album as her husband learned he had treat-able cancer. Her songs express the joys of and struggles of fi ghting for lasting love.

Assad collaborated with song-writers Matt Maher (“Your Grace is Enough”) and Derek Webb (“Wed-ding Dress”) and producer Marshall

Altman (Brooke Fraser, Natasha Be-dingfi eld, William Fitzsimmons).

“Th e Blessed Ones” is co-writ-ten with Derek Webb and Sandra McCracken regarding her expecta-tions of marriage.

“Sparrow” features a re-work-ing of the classic hymn, “why should I be lonely...when Jesus is my portion, and a constant Friend I know, I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m fr ee, His eye is on the sparrow, His eye is on the sparrow, and I know he’s watching me...”

“No Turning Back” celebrates the freedom we have in Christ and includes a hymn re-write of “I Have Decided” in the bridge.

“Lament” features the confes-sion, “I’m Mary & Martha all at the same time, I’m sitt ing at His feet and yet dying to be recognized.”

You won’t hear much of Assad’s music on Christian radio, but it is the perfect antidote for sugary, Christian pop music.

#stuff myprofsays#stuff myprofsaysProf Young (Drawing II)

- “This one has a hooker that draws you into the next one.”

- “I just want to take a bite out of them and have a good time for a while.”

- “Syringes are only good for one thing.”

Dan McNamara

-”Satan’s outside in the form of a weed whacker right now.”

Dr. LaGioia

-”I don’t see a lot of partying while God is in wrath mode.”

Dr. Peugh

- “You lied to me and said that apples are brown. I checked and apples are not brown.”

-”I spanked the wrong kid!”

What They Would Say | Stephen Hartman

Dog Dayz | Stephanie Johnston

If there is one thing that will be with me for-ever as a re-sult of seeing this movie, it’s this: not even the cor-ruptive pow-ers of the

Devil himself can destroy a Twinkie.Everlasting Twinkies aside, this

fi lm, which serves as a combination sequel/reboot to 2007’s “Ghost Rid-er,” is a massive improvement upon its predecessor. If you had even the slightest appreciation for the fi rst “Ghost Rider,” then “Spirit of Ven-geance” should be a welcome return of the character.

One of the biggest reasons for that has to do with the Rider him-self. In the original fi lm, exactly who and what the Rider is not only falls aside as unexplored, but it also feels largely unimportant. “Ghost Rider” was a fi lm about Johnny Blaze and this thing that happened to him. By contrast, “Spirit of Vengeance” is actually about the Ghost Rider as a character.

As it turns out, the fi ery-skulled-biker-with-an-impossibly-long-chain-lasso was, at one time,

an angel. He was the spirit of justice, and his mission was to defend the in-nocent. But this angel, Zarathos, was deceived by the Devil and brought down to hell. Th ere, he was tortured and driven insane. At that moment, he became the spirit of vengeance, and his mission was perverted. Rath-er than protecting innocence, he now served only to punish the wicked.

Directing team Mark Nevel-dine and Brian Taylor (“Gamer,” “Crank”) also understood very well what the Ghost Rider should look like on fi lm. Silver spikes and studs and buckles are all fi ne in the comics, but they don’t translate well to the screen. Nicolas Cage (“Face/Off ,” “Th e Rock”) is already sort of oddly shaped as it is, what with his broad shoulders and teeny, tiny legs, and beefi ng out the Ghost Rider in the fi rst fi lm only enhanced that. Also, in the original “Ghost Rider,” the actual Rider was not played by Cage. He was given life by stuntmen. Ton-

ing down the Rider’s look and lett ing Cage stay in his boots gave credibil-ity and personality to the character that was desperately lacking in the fi rst fi lm.

Ironically, the biggest drag about this fi lm was Nicolas Cage’s other performance as Johnny Blaze. Cage has always been a bit of a goo-ber. He wants to be an action star, a rough and tumble hero, but the guy is just goofy. It seems that Neveldine and Taylor encouraged that aspect of his acting, and maybe a litt le too much. Watching him writhe and scream and giggle as he transformed into Ghost Rider was just off -putt ing and totally took me out of the experi-ence.

Th at said, those moments are few and far between in the fi lm, and otherwise, it holds up rather well. Th ough the plot is rather derivative (read: been done in every movie that featured Satan as a character EVER), solid performances from Ciaran Hinds (“Harry Pott er and the Death-ly Hallows: Part 2”) as the Devil, Idris Elba (“Th or”) as the wine-swigging French priest Moreaux, and relative newcomer Violante Placido as the mother of the Devil’s child really help round out the story and invest you in it as an audience member.

I wasn’t expecting much from “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance,” and it has turned out to be my fi rst happy surprise of the year.

Crazy Prophet | Natalie Huebner

8THE SOUNDING BOARD | FEBRUARY 23, 2012

ARTS & CULTUREGhost Rider returns with massive

improvements from its predecessor“Heart” is the perfect antidote for sugary, Christian pop music

Ironically, the biggest drag about this fi lm was Nicolas Cage’s peformance

as Johnny Blaze.

BY OCTAVIA LEHMANEditor-in-Chief

BY PAUL MORALESArts & Culture Writer