First on the docket for Wednesday was a discussion on lecture notetaking. Dr. Ryan MacPherson started by going through the corresponding pointers in the Academic Survival Kit. He then gave an example lecture on JFK’s presidency to cement our understanding. Since it was Wednesday, we followed this with a divine service in Wilhem Löhe Chapel.
After worship, we toured True Care, a faith based pro-life women’s resource center located in downtown Casper. The wonderful ladies at True Care showed us around their facilities. They narrated the process of caring for a woman in crisis. In 2024, they had 260 appointments, 230 of which were pregnancies, and saved 201 lives. Back on campus we had lunch before heading to El Mark-O Lanes for two hours of bowling.
In the evening, students were split up into groups to have dinner at a faculty member’s home. I was in the group dining with Rev. Dr. Harold Ristau and his family. The food was delicious, and the company at the Ristaus’ was lovely. We ended up sticking around for a couple of hours, drinking tea and chatting.
Thursday began with a Time Management Workshop led by Dr. MacPherson. I was expecting your standard, run-of-the-mill advice: “make a list; block out your time; don’t procrastinate.” Dr. MacPherson quickly shattered these expectations. First, he equated management with stewardship. Next was the dismantling of the phrase “there aren’t enough hours in the day”. He called out those of us who’ve uttered the phrase (and really who hasn’t?) as contradicting what we confess in the First Article of the Creed: “He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life.” He went on to suggest that we could take a break from our checklist, reminding us that true leisure is both a blessing and a necessity.
After Matins, we had Commonplace Notebooking with Rev. Joshua Hayes. He discussed the purpose of a commonplace notebook, the difference between fleeting and permanent notes, and indexing methods. All students are required to keep a notebook, as it creates connections between classes and an accessible knowledge base for future use.
Next was Fine Outward Training with Dr. Caleb Karges where he explained that the goal of physical fitness is to better serve your neighbor (and to be able to move at age seventy, but that’s more of a bonus.) From there, we split up into seven groups to go on a scavenger hunt in downtown Casper.
We hunted some scavenges, ate a tasty little lunch at Steamboat Deli, hunted more scavenges, got waylaid by an ice cream parlor—overall, it was quite a peaceful experience. I’m told, however, that one group had a harrowing experience with an “Allen wrench-wielding praying mantis.” The veracity of these claims is under investigation. I can attest to the existence of the Allen wrench, and I was shown a photo of the, admittedly, unarmed mantis. Do with that what you may.
Later in the afternoon, we discussed student government with Dr. Karges. Currently, LCC has no student government. The inaugural class of Luther Classical College has been tasked with drafting the student constitution and establishing the government by which they and future generations will be ruled. There was talk of a republic, a monarchy, and a democracy. Personally, I’d be in favor of a Christian prince, though it is unclear how he would wield the sword. So far, the students have agreed to form a constitutional committee to research various forms of government and present their findings and suggestions to the student body. It will be interesting to see to what sort of rule they choose to subject themselves.
