"O Lord of the oceans, my little bark sails on a restless sea, grant that Jesus may sit at the helm and steer me safely; suffer no adverse currents to divert my heavenward course; let not my faith be wrecked amid storms and shoals; bring me to harbour with flying pennants, hull unbreached, cargo unspoiled. I ask great things, expect great things, shall receive great things."
[Opening words to A Prayer from The Valley of Vision]
On Friday, April 14, the Aletheia Team presented a symposium discussing their latest issue, "The Great Story" (Vol. II, No. II). Speakers at this event included Dr. Les Sillars, seniors Anna Fox and Gabriel Thomas, freshman Isaac Torcellini, and alumni Elizabeth Borders and Emma Armbrust. Each of these guests had previously submitted an article for the magazine. About forty PHC students attended the symposium and had the opportunity to ask questions of each writer regarding their entries.
This issue of Aletheia included a collection of faculty features, professor articles, and student and alumni essays. Other Aletheia writers who did not speak at the symposium included Dr. Cory Grewell, Dr. Doug Favelo, Dr. Marissa Walraven, Dr. Gordon Middleton, Professor Katherine Weitz, and Dr. Alicia McCartney (PHC alumna). The entries discuss a variety of topics covering subjects from C.S. Lewis and music to the value of truth to Dante's Divine Comedy and its relation to nature and glory. Each entry related back to the theme of telling the Great Story of human life.
At the start of the symposium, each speaker came forward and presented a summary of their entry for the audience. After this, students gathered with the speakers individually and answered questions such as described below.
After hearing Thomas' article Ordered Emotion and the Good Life, freshman Ryan Slemmer asked, "How do we maintain fear without letting fear turn into anxiety?" Freshman Abigail Lee asked, "Do you consider fear an emotion or an action?" Thomas responded that humans see the interaction of fear and then have a result that they think about. He explained that emotions are the responses to actions. "Allowing Christ to make our decisions is how we are to live emotionally sound lives," Thomas said.
The evening closed with junior Clara York, seniors Hesed Kim and Spencer Dalke, and sophomore Stephen Traphagen as singers accompanied by sophomore Isaac Lubben on the piano. They performed the song, "I Love to Tell the Story." The closing verse of this song is the following: "The Savior of all people has brought His peace to you; now go and tell the story, for others need it too. To ev'ry land and nation ring out the gospel call; proclaim that Christ is risen and grants His peace to all."
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