Blog

1526 people have been executed in the U.S. since 1973 and 171 of those people have been exonerated (EJI). According to the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), founded by Bryan Stevenson, “At least 170 Alabama death sentences have been reversed by state or federal courts and resulted in an exoneration, lesser conviction, or reduced sentence”. Stevenson is fighting to add more numbers to the exonerated statistic.

Just Mercy is a deeply-moving, thought-provoking film about Bryan Stevenson’s fight for justice and redemption in the criminal justice system. Stevenson had a passion for using his Harvard Law degree to help men and women in Birmingham, Alabama who were wrongly convicted and put on death row. His first client was Walter McMillian who was put on death row for the murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite his proven innocence. This film goes through Stevenson and McMillian’s emotional journey of fighting for freedom and justice despite the racial tension.

This movie is helping fuel the conversation around capital punishment in America and raise an eyebrow to the flaws in our criminal justice system. You can watch this film with us in the LaHaye Event Space on November 6. There will be two showings, one at 8 p.m. and the other at 10:45 p.m. I can guarantee you will leave feeling inspired and ready to change the world!

Sources:

https://eji.org/issues/alabama-death-penalty/

https://eji.org/issues/death-penalty/

 

Written by: Kaitlyn Skarstein

Kaitlyn loves being able to write for the SA blog because she thinks it is important to share her voice. She loves being able to express her own opinions on important subjects that are relevant for students, faculty, and many others.

Think about the things that you own. Picture the clothes in your closet and the possessions cluttering your house. Odds are that you’re picturing a closet full of clothes that you never wear, and a house full of things that you never use.

According to Loveday Wright, “If everybody lived in the same way as the average American, we would need almost five planet Earths”. That number is shocking. The American lifestyle is full of stuff. People want to buy stuff and simply own more stuff than their peers. This can be for any reason, from trying to boost social status to taking pride in having the latest and greatest thing that somebody else does not.

I would like to propose the idea that having less is more. An idea that, in the words of Wright, “equates living more minimally with living more meaningfully”. We can live happier and healthier lives without having the added burden of so much stuff.

In addition to the individual aspect of this minimalism, it goes beyond whatever personal reasons that someone chooses to make this change. In an article by Megan Ray Nichols, she says, “According to one study, the products we consume are responsible for 60% of greenhouse gas emissions”. The decision that we make on a personal level can in turn have a global impact.

Nichols goes on, saying that “Buying less of higher quality goods can help protect the environment by reducing demand for ‘fast’ consumer products and lowering the amount of trash in landfills”. If we as Americans and as individuals make the decision to limit the products we consume, we can begin taking steps to preserve the planet that we all call home, and feel a little better while doing it.

Try consolidating the possessions you own by taking small steps. Clean out that closet of clothes that you never wear, or go through that old junk drawer and sort out the things you never use and no longer need. The saying, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” has never been more accurate. There are more ways now than ever to make some money back on items you can live without. You can list your old clothes online and try to make some money, or you could even take some things to goodwill and bless some other people in your area who might be in need.

1 Timothy 6:7-8 says, “For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” This is a solid reminder that the things of this world matter not. At the end of the day, who we are on the inside speaks louder and clearer than the things we seem to have and project on the outside.

Sources:

https://www.veteransoffgrid.org/blog/whats-the-connection-between-minimalism-and-sustainability

https://www.dw.com/en/can-a-minimalist-mindset-help-save-the-planet/a-51733322 

 

Written by: Josiah Frisbie

Josiah enjoys writing for the blog because he believes in the power of discussing relevant topics. He wants to be challenged in his writing and research style while still growing and striving for knowledge.

When examining the zeitgeist of 21^st century filmmaking, there are few directors with more influence than Christopher Nolan. Blending cultural significance with critical acclaim, Nolan is responsible for era-defining movies such as The Dark Knight, Inception, and Dunkirk. His style is well-known to the point of parody: tortured hero complexes, high-concept twists, and primarily original stories that are so visually dynamic that they practically beg to be seen in theaters. Simply put, Christopher Nolan aspires to make movies that blend critical acclaim with widespread popularity, inciting more thought and analysis than the average superhero sequel. Because of this unique blend, Nolan’s movies consistently dominate the box office, impacting the filmmaking world and even culture as a whole.

In the midst of a global pandemic that resulted in entire industries and economies shutting down, the entertainment world was starved for content. After multiple delays, Warner Bros. finally released Tenet in the United States on September 3, 2020, albeit to mixed reviews. Whether or not it was a good or bad movie seemed unimportant. It was an important movie because it had a platform to revitalize movie theaters across the country. That didn’t happen. 

What went wrong? Tenet looked great, featured movie stars, and released during a time of limited ulterior entertainment options. Obviously, normalcy shouldn’t be expected in the middle of arguably the weirdest summer in which to premiere a movie ever. A gigantic part of the issue is that the United States just wasn’t (and isn’t) ready for big films to return. However, I think Tenet had a few serious flaws that led to a lack of capitalization on a blockbuster movie market with little to no competition. More qualified critics have spoken to these issues much more thoroughly, but there are a few things I noticed that I’ll share.

First is the plot. While Nolan enjoys making audiences think, this story and premise seemed overcomplicated and unnecessary. There is an air of self-importance which implies that only truly devoted fans will ever fully understand Tenet, which I believe had the reverse intended effect.

Cryptic exposition about inverted time is actually made less coherent by my biggest beef with Tenet: its sound mixing. I couldn’t hear a thing! Plot-critical discussions were made utterly inaudible thanks to their delivery through a combination of masks, walkie talkies, booming orchestras, and shoot-outs. Within the first half hour, I had missed storylines that proved to be vital when I didn’t know where characters were or why.

Finally, hot take: are we sure John David Washington is a good actor?

With Tenet, Christopher Nolan continues to show that he is concerned more about the scope and grandeur of a movie’s concept than he is about its actual cohesion. While that can be frustrating as a viewer, understanding his priorities can help when watching one of his movies that doesn’t seem to make actual sense when scrutinized (Hello, Interstellar!). Every once in a while, Nolan strikes gold and hits on an ideal mix of story, cast, themes, dialogue, and score. Other times, he makes a popcorn movie that looks really cool.

While I personally was remarkably detached from the convoluted plot and one-dimensional characters of Tenet, I was enthralled by its blending of visual and practical effects. Compared to other Nolan projects, I didn’t love it at all. As a film, I considered it detached, pretentious, and too demanding for the average moviegoer. Nevertheless, Tenet gave the film industry “An Event” again, which I’m grateful for. When watching Tenet for the first time, take the advice of the inversion scientist explaining the rules in the first act, “Don’t try to understand it, just feel it.”

 

Written by: Preston Glisson

Preston is a junior accounting major from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He is grateful for the opportunity to write about things that fascinate him – such as entertainment, sports, sociology, and the modern church.

I enjoy sitting through a symphony. Aesthetic is more important to me than most things in a culinary experience. My wedding – everything from the catering to the playlist – is planned out in my head (pending future wife approval). My fascinations usually align with things that most would consider to be female-dominated interests, and I am perfectly okay with that as I find that getting a good mix of typically stereotypical male practices and stereotypical female practices gives me a variety of perspective and appreciation.

Where I often draw the line in my endeavors into things that are considered more feminine is the practice of watching overly romantic, “lovey dovey” movies. As a man who is writing a book on Christian dating culture and frequents listening to Ray LaMontagne, it is not as if I am not the romantic type, but dipping my toes into the waters of romantic films has been one practice I have never been able to bring myself to.

That is, of course, until I stumbled upon the 2005 Joe Wright directed remake of the classic movie and book “Pride and Prejudice”, which was originally penned by Jane Austen. Perhaps it was my childhood crush on Keira Knightley from her days in the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise that sucked me in, but what I stayed for was the compelling dialogue, interesting character dynamic, and very original storyline.

Most of the film’s actors were familiar faces to me, whether it be Donald Sutherland who I had seen as President Snow in the Hunger Games or Judi Dench as M in Golden Eye. What baffled me was the broad portfolio of parts these actors could play. Sutherland went from being the cruel political leader of the Districts to being a loveable father in a house full of girls in Pride & Prejudice, while Dench went from being the snide commanding officer of James Bond to being a prissy debutant who aims to control her family and their love lives. The most moving performances belonged to the main characters played by Matthew Macfadyen and Keira Knightley, who seems a little too good at the role, as if she really was a late 18^thcentury rural England resident who stumbled upon a time machine and came to the 2000’s.

The dynamic of Knightley’s Lizzy and Macfadyen’s Mr. Darcy highlights the prejudice associated with family pedigree, the grapevine effect on reputation, and the complexity of communicating affection through social awkwardness. Jane Austen deserves every bit of legendary props for the way these characters display the nuances of late 18^thcentury England and social status, as well as the faults and often unseen good side of all persons. What you see is very often not what you are truly getting, which Darcy eventually shows and Lizzy comes to realize.

With an elegant conglomerate of period piece architecture and dancing, conversational and observational humor as well as memorable side glances and turns of phrase, the film will leave you pondering the timeliness and epic nature of romance as you sleep that night. On a personal note, I found myself appreciating new features of the movie as the night went on, and I remembered subtle details that make the story that much more “amiable”.

At an attempt to stay true to the original text, screenwriter Deborah Moggach used late 18^thcentury English phrasing and dialect, which can be hard to keep up with, so subtitles are highly recommended. This is a benefit to the viewer because you do not want to miss a word of the compelling and fast paced dialogue. Rarely does watching a movie based off of a book make me want to drive to my local library to pick up a copy, but Pride & Prejudice has compelled me to head to the bookshelves. Or perhaps I’ll take a horse carriage, in an effort to get that much more in tune with the story itself.

 

Written by: Landen Swain

Landen believes the human experience longs to be expressed; through our art, our labor, our songs, our storytelling. As a published playwright, author, and poet, he enjoys expressing his little chapter of the human experience through his writings and is thankful that the SA blog allows him to do that. He is published in numerous magazines, literary journals, and has several plays published by Off the Wall Plays, an online play publishing house.

I am constantly listening to music. Whether it’s at work, doing homework, in the car, or just lounging around, you can almost always find me having some sort of tune playing wherever I am. If you’re like most people, you probably like to listen to music while going throughout your day. It’s helpful for drowning out distractions when you need to focus, but it’s also one of my favorite “self-therapy” tools if you want to call it that. Sitting down and deliberately listening to music is one of the most soothing and engaging things one could do.

When listening to music, I pick apart the lyrics. It’s always the focus of the music I listen to, and lyrics are almost always the reason for why I do or don’t like a song. This is how I thought everyone listened to music – focusing on the lyrics and letting the melody just be in the background. But over time, as I have had many discussions on various songs and artists in different genres, I realized this isn’t the case for a lot of people. Sometimes I show my friends songs with some meaningful and powerful lyrics, but when they hear only a piano or acoustic guitar in the background they aren’t impressed. I thought they were crazy. How could you not love the lyrical masterpiece this song is!!

My old roommate is a perfect example of this contrast in his approach to listening to music. He’s played drums since he was able to hold two sticks in his hands. Whenever he listens to music, his mind is engaged with the melody. He doesn’t pay close attention to the words or attempt to decipher the meaning of them. He judges music off the “sound” of the song and what the melody is portraying. Meanwhile, I listen to the same song he does, and completely focus on the lyrics.

This doesn’t mean one of us is completely ignoring the other way of listening to music, but it does mean, that for personal preference, our ears and minds engage different parts of the song. If you look up what’s more important to a song, you’ll see 9 out of 10 times it’s the music or the melody of the song, but this doesn’t mean lyrics should be forgotten. In fact, lyrics should be a heavy contributor to the “grade of a song”. So, how can we focus on and dissect the lyrics while not ignoring the rest of the song?

Focusing on the lyrics brings new depth to the music you’re listening to. It can give you insight into an artist’s life, the way they think, and the things going on within their own life. Listening to and understanding lyrics isn’t always straightforward and can take some time to unpack all the meaning behind specific words. Some songs may have lyrics seemingly without much meaning other than what you hear, but the deeper you dig, you find that many lyrics have hidden meanings, overarching stories, and poetic tools being used to make their true meanings a little harder to understand.

For me, I like to read the lyrics to a song after I listen to it. I look for any ways the lyrics may be written to show a double meaning or if there’s a greater picture being painted throughout the song as a whole. I then take note of anything I may not understand like a term or name, and try to find the meaning of it. I listen to the song again and try to find anything in the melody that gives any hints to the emotion the artist is trying to convey through a certain lyric. This helps me get into the artists shoes and allows for a deeper understanding of what that artist is trying to convey.

If you don’t have the time to sit down and dissect the music you listen to, or don’t have as much time as you’d like, there are podcasts that can help you get to the core meaning of songs. My favorite is Song Exploder. According to their website, “Song Exploder is a podcast where musicians take apart their songs, and piece by piece, tell the story of how they were made.” They are also coming out with a Netflix series, so you could add it to the list of shows you want to binge next.

If you enjoy listening to hip-hop, Dissect is another great podcast for exploring lyrics. Cole Cuchna, a writer and producer for Clever-Clogs, breaks down each song on a specific album, and literally dissects every piece of it. There are more podcasts out there for music analysis, but these are my two favorite.

The next time you hear some new music, try and find some time to spend really breaking down the songs into their different components. It will give you deeper appreciation for the music and will help you better understand what you’re listening to!

Sources

https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2013/05/29/187168874/the-good-listener-whats-more-important-lyrics-or-music

https://www.nrgrecording.com/post/why-do-lyrics-matter

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18626-music-and-lyrics-how-the-brain-splits-songs/

https://songexploder.net/about

 

Written by: Andrew Reynolds 

Andrew Reynolds is a Senior Project Management Major, and enjoys writing for the blog because of the opportunity it gives him to grow as a writer and to challenge himself to see current topics and discussions from a view point he may not have otherwise thought about.

The Liberty football season is here, which means that game time snacks are here too! Let’s be honest, if you are at a football watch party without any snacks, is it even worth going? Our Flames football team has a big game this weekend, so I wanted to make a simple but delicious recipe that you and your friends can easily replicate game day. Today we are going to be making pull apart garlic bread pizza dip!

Start off by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. I always feel less stressed when I have all the ingredients and supplies ready to go before I start cooking so I don’t feel like I’m scrambling. You will need a 9″x13″ baking dish, a large bowl, a small bowl, a whisk, a wooden spoon, a cutting board, a chopping knife, a pastry brush, and measuring cups/spoons.

First, you are going to mix all of your different cheeses and some spices together in a large bowl. Mix together 2 cups of mozzarella, 16 oz. of cream cheese, 1 cup of ricotta, ⅓ cup of Parmesan, 1 tbsp. of Italian seasoning, and ½ tsp. of red pepper flakes. Personally, I added a little bit more Italian seasoning because I love the flavor that comes from it! After that, you are going to season the cheese mix with a little bit of kosher salt.

After you give it a good mixing (really put some elbow grease into it), transfer it into your 9”x13” baking dish and try to smooth it out as best as you can. You will then spread ¾ of a cup of pizza sauce on the cheese. Top that with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and 1 cup of mini pepperoni. I didn’t feel like ¾ of cup was enough pizza sauce for my liking, so I doubled what the recipe calls for.

Second, break open those beautiful Pillsbury Grand Biscuits. Split each biscuit in half and roll each half into a ball. After you make about 24 biscuit balls, place them on top of the dip.

 

For the third step, you are going to make the incredible garlic oil mixture that will go on top of the biscuits. In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ of a cup of olive oil, 3 cloves of garlic, and 1 tbsp. of fresh parsley. Personally, I love garlic (especially in this recipe) so I added an extra 2 cloves for an extra kick. Brush the mixture on the biscuits and sprinkle on the remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan.

Fourth, bake those wonderful biscuits until they are golden, and the cheese has melted a bit, which takes about 45 minutes. Then cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake another 15 minutes, or until biscuits are cooked all the way through. Take the garlic bread pizza dip out of the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes. Then ENJOY!

I can almost guarantee these will become a fan favorite for the average cheese lover. This recipe serves 8 but could easily eaten up by 6 depending on how hungry the people are at your watch party. Overall, it takes about 20 minutes to prep the food and 60 minutes to bake, so it should take you about 1.5 hours to make. Happy cooking and Go Flames!

 Ingredients:

3 c. shredded mozzarella, divided

2 (8-oz.) blocks cream cheese, softened

1 c. ricotta

1/3 c. plus 2 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan, divided

1 tbsp. Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

3/4 c. pizza sauce (extra 3/4 c. optional)

1 c. mini pepperoni

2 (16-oz.) cans refrigerated biscuits (such as Pillsbury Grands)

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley

 

Written by: Kaitlyn Skarstein

Kaitlyn loves being able to write for the SA blog because she thinks it is important to share her voice. She loves being able to express her own opinions on important subjects that are relevant for students, faculty, and many others.

Generation Z is the first digital age generation that was raised up with technology available at every corner. Due to the current pandemic and social distancing we are seeing people connect through social media more than ever before. In addition to all the changes this world has gone through in the past year, TikTok has become a new social media giant keeping the world connected.

TikTok has a wide variety of followers that can find themselves spending hours on it each day. There are, however, some that are anti-TikTok due to the time it consumes. The questions and concerns are valid, but what about in the midst of a pandemic when the world is shut down? Is TikTok actually the one thing keeping the world connected, or is it the one thing that is hurting us?

In my personal experience, I downloaded TikTok early on just as it was starting to get big. I quickly saw a wide variety of users on this social media platform, from teens doing dances at youth group, to even parents doing dances with their kids on the app. I also noticed how TikTok was not simply being used to connect with friends and family, but rather it was being used for global unity. Rather than showing others their unique lives, people were now joining other random people by participating in common trends.

The New York Times said, “TikTok instead encourages users to jump from audience to audience, trend to trend, creating something like simulated temporary friend groups, who get together to do friend-group things: to share an inside joke; to riff on a song; to talk idly and aimlessly about whatever is in front of you”.

I found that my TikTok was constantly pulling from different people, dances, and themes each day as the app catered to me. After realizing this, I thought, “Is this healthy?” As the platform figured out which TikTok’s made me laugh more than others, I found myself spending hours on the app every day.

After about three weeks of having the app, I deleted TikTok. Choosing to delete the platform freed up a lot of my time to do what I wanted to do. As TikTok continued to evolve and become more popular over quarantine, it kept people connected, but also made them co-dependent.

In a study, JAMA said, “increased time spent on social media may be a risk factor for internalizing problems in adolescents”. Their conclusion that youth are experiencing problems related back to spending more time on social media isn’t surprising to hear. Social media itself may not damaging, but the way we use it can so often become a crutch to our lives. So how do we protect ourselves mentally while reaping the benefits of social media such as connecting people and bringing them together?

The first step to enjoying TikTok while protecting yourself is limiting your time on it. It is so easy to spend time on your phone and waste away your afternoon, but it’s crucial to set boundaries to decrease the amount of time spent on social media. Putting a time limit on your phone or scheduling out your day to dedicate thirty minutes to TikTok can help reduce time spent on the app.

The next step to protecting yourself from social media is developing different hobbies. Hobbies are needed for the mental wellbeing of a person. We were created to enjoy life outside of our phones, so find a different activity you love to do. Whether it is gardening, running, writing, or playing music, finding a healthy outlet allows you to clear your mind and reset.

The last plan of action is taking time to interact with people. Set aside time to sit and talk or go to social gatherings. We were created for community and TikTok by itself does not cut it. Having social interactions and going to social gatherings can help prevent you from feeling isolated, which often leads to depression and anxiety.

At the end of the day, TikTok can be a positive outlet, but it definitely cannot take the place of our only social interactions and hobbies. It is a fun platform, but it is so easy to let it completely consume our time. Remember you were created to enjoy life and it is important to take care of yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically. If we do not stop to take care of ourselves today, we will only be hurting ourselves in the long run. Like most things, it’s important to find a balance while using TikTok. Just remember to practice self-control with the app, so that you are able to have the time for healthy hobbies and those important social interactions with people we were created to have.

Sources

www.adcouncil.org/social-medias-impact-on-society?gclid=Cj0KCQjwk8b7BRCaARIsAARRTL6zRrzVPCnN2FCaAxQKaEOBdaYhIMjk2hPmqZVUf78wHzsXPRRRaCoaAm6BEALw_wcB.

www.nytimes.com/2019/03/10/style/what-is-tik-tok.html

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2749480

The temperature dropping and leaves changing in color can only mean one thing, fall is here. Our staff member Preston put together a playlist of his current favorites for this change in season. We love this playlist and hope you do too!

It’s that time again everybody – Student Activities presents Binge & Banter: Avatar the Last Airbender. Following in the footsteps of our last successful Binge & Banter, the Mandalorian, we will be breaking down the newly re-famed Netflix show, following our favorite Airbender and his friends. No matter if you are from the Fire Nation, one of the Water Tribes, or anywhere in between, mark your calendar for October 20 when we will be discussing your favorite character arcs, episodes, and even some fan theories.

For those of you who haven’t seen the show, Avatar is centered around Aang, the last Air Nomad left on the planet, and his journey of navigating life in a new world around him. Aang, although 12 years old biologically, is technically 112 years old after spending 100 years frozen in ice. He gets frozen during the end of a time of peace, and thaws out to a world of chaos and turmoil as the Fire Nation has changed the world as he knew it.

Aang’s people, the Air Nomad’s, were wiped out by the Fire Nation on their conquest to global domination. As the Avatar, Aang is set on the course to fulfill his destiny of mastering all four elements (water, earth, fire, and air) and bringing balance back to the world. Through this journey, there are so many twists and turns as each character grows and develops into different versions of themselves.

Come with your thoughts and join in on the discussion! There will be fun stickers and snacks as we enjoy discussing one of our favorite shows. We hope to see you there on October 20.

Sources:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417299/trivia

 

Written by: Josiah Frisbie

Josiah enjoys writing for the blog because he believes in the power of discussing relevant topics. He wants to be challenged in his writing and research style while still growing and striving for knowledge.

College goes by fast. I’m sure you’ve heard that so many times since being at Liberty, but I just want to reiterate it; college flies by. As a senior, I look back on these last 3 years to lots of laughter, tears, life-giving friendships, new passions, and SubCo. Here is some advice I want to give to freshmen about your college experience from a senior’s perspective.

First, put yourself out there and be bold in your friendships. Your community is your lifeline in college. According to Mayo Clinic, “Friends also play a significant role in promoting your overall health. Adults with strong social support have a reduced risk of many significant health problems, including depression, high blood pressure and an unhealthy body mass index (BMI). Studies have even found that older adults with a rich social life are likely to live longer than their peers with fewer connections”. Friendships not only give you a healthier lifestyle, but also a more fun one too. I would not be where or who I am today without the people that I call my best friends.

I had to get past the discomfort of asking someone to grab dinner, or hang out with me first, because frankly, I just needed friends. If I wasn’t bold in asking people to hangout, I probably wouldn’t have the friends I have today. Just know that it’s okay to reach out first because everybody wants a friend. Once you get that community, do everything you can to pour into it and be vulnerable. Vulnerability is a tough thing for most people, but I promise you it is worth it. When you are vulnerable with people, it allows you to be free to yourself and results in a much deeper relationship.

Second, it’s okay to not know what you want to do for the rest of your life. When I came to college, I was undecided on my field of study. Since then, I’ve switched my major 3 times, but I’m happy I did because I love my classes and my major. When you’re 18 it’s hard to make big decisions, because those same decisions will impact a large majority of your life. However, just know that it’s okay to change your major, because your passions will usually change at some point too. Borderzine states, “About 80 percent of students in the United States end up changing their major at least once, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. On average, college students change their major at least three times over the course of their college career”.

When you do find those classes that you are excited to go to, even when it’s at 8:15 AM, pour yourself into it. You are in college to do a lot of things, but to educate yourself is the main reason, so don’t waste it! Take classes that interest you, not ones that you feel like you need to take just because it’s what the “smart people” are doing. Not everyone is going to have the same strengths and callings, so not everyone is going to major in the same thing or take the same classes.

Third, take your relationship with God seriously. Being at Liberty is a huge blessing and something you should not take lightly. You could go to a different bible study every night of the week if you wanted to because there are countless opportunities to deepen your relationship with God here. Don’t waste these opportunities. When you get out of Liberty you will most likely be in a very secular part of the world where you won’t have the spiritual resources you do now, so take advantage of them!

Don’t just attend Campus Community or Convocation and count that as your quiet time. Open up your Bible and spend alone time with God so you can truly grow in an intimate relationship with Him. Also, get connected to a local church so you can serve your local community. Check out this blog post if you’re struggling to get connected with a church in Lynchburg.

Fourth, don’t give into FOMO. FOMO, fear of missing out, can truly ruin your college experience. You have to learn to be content with where you are and not envy other people’s experiences. The more you learn to cherish the present moment, the easier it will be to not give into FOMO.

Psychology Today states, “College is a time when we are programmed to develop on two parallel tracks: On the one hand, we are making new kinds of connections with our peers, developing more adult friendships and more intense romantic relationships than in the past; and on the other, we are making inroads into our future professional goals”. It’s tough to learn the balance between the two, but just know that everyone struggles with it. Learn that you cannot be omni-present, which means that you will miss out on things, but so does everybody else!

Fifth, start establishing habits. You might think that what you are doing your freshman year won’t affect you as a senior or graduate, but that’s wrong. How you study now will affect how you study when you’re a senior. What your work ethic is now, will affect how your work ethic is when you have graduated and have a full-time job.

The World Counts states, “More than 40 percent of the actions you perform each day aren’t actual decisions, but habits. They grow stronger and stronger over time and become more and more automatic. Habits are so powerful because they create neurological cravings: A certain behavior is rewarded by the release of “pleasure” chemicals in the brain”. Habits control your life, so start making good ones today!

Sixth, maximize your freedom! College is made for last minute road trips, discovering the world, learning more about yourself, having late nights at Cookout, going on early sunrise drives to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and making memories that will truly last a lifetime. Savor every moment with your friends and don’t stop trying new things.

Don’t leave college looking back on all the things you wish you would have done, just do it now! You will not have this little amount of responsibility for a long time in life, so maximize it. Don’t take this season for granted. Trust me, it will go by fast.

Sources:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-couch/201309/fomo-and-the-college-student-tap-your-inner-wisdom

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/friendships/art-20044860#:~:text=Boost%20your%20happiness%20and%20reduce,drinking%20or%20lack%20of%20exercise

https://borderzine.com/2013/03/college-students-tend-to-change-majors-when-they-find-the-one-they-really-love/#:~:text=About%2080%20percent%20of%20students,course%20of%20their%20college%20career.

https://www.theworldcounts.com/happiness/the-importance-of-good-habits

 

Written by: Kaitlyn Skarstein

Kaitlyn loves being able to write for the SA blog because she thinks it is important to share her voice. She loves being able to express her own opinions on important subjects that are relevant for students, faculty, and many others.