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“Music is my religion,” said Jimi Hendrix, or at least that quote is attributed to him. More likely, this is a bumper sticker-quality distillation of a longer quote from Jimi about live music performance:

“When I get up on stage – well, that’s my whole life. That’s my religion. My music is electric church music, if by ‘church’ you mean ‘religion’. I am electric religion.”

That is arguably the most late-60’s, psychedelic rock thing anyone has ever said. It is also the type of quote that Christians tend to respond to with either pity or indignation: either a feeling of sadness that this was the best “religion” he could experience, or taken as an affront to Christianity as true religion. Either reaction is understandable to a point, but taken even at face value, I think his quote is quite close to the truth. It says as much about the transcendent nature of music and the power of a live performance as it does about Jimi Hendrix’s beliefs.

Approximately how much of your day are you listening or connected to music? Just observing the number of people walking around wearing headphones or with earbuds plugged in, the answer is probably “around half the day”, after subtracting out time spent in class, sleeping, and eating. That degree of musical connection is less like listening and more like soundtracking, with the songs you play functioning as a score and your everyday life is the movie. But is that much music really a bad thing? No, unless it is a ploy to avoid talking to other people. Music affects us so deeply, we want to be near it as much as possible. It is simultaneously comforting and enlivening, reaching into the deepest parts of our being, and at the same time, carrying us somewhere outside and beyond our immediate existence, and this is what undergirds Jimi Hendrix’s quote.

It is understandable, then, why he said what he did about live performance, which is where I think this should ultimately lead us. Whether or not he meant any hostility toward “church” or “religion” (I doubt that he did), the sentiment pulled from his statement is often used that way now; music is the anti-religion religion, and concerts are the non-church church. But even trying to distance oneself from religion by way of music and the performance of music requires the use of religious and spiritual language. Jimi Hendrix professed no particular faith during his short career, but had to use such language as a comparative point to what he did and experienced on stage. Author Chanon Ross speaks of concerts as revealing a “profound longing for transcendence, ecstatic experience, mutuality, and even incarnational metaphysics”, experiences most Christians (hopefully) seek and find in the local church. I think everyone wants that kind of connection or experience, and concerts are the closest thing many people will ever get to it. Music is a gift, but the live music experience makes it a gift in a truer sense: it becomes a shared experience between the maker of that gift and its recipients, and a way for those recipients to share in the experience together.

I am not advocating here for live music as a church substitute. But consider this an exhortation simply to pursue the live music experience. As a Christian, you are able to see it for what it is, a gift, and able to understand the spiritual depth of that experience, without needing it to be a substitute spirituality.

At Student Activities, this is a big part of what informs our decision to bring in artists, both large and small, and we hope that you will participate in our concert events. Check out all of our upcoming events and be sure to follow us on Twitter for concert announcements and information.

Approximately how much of your time listening to music is spent in discovery or exploration? That is, how much time do you give to listening to artists or genres with which you are unfamiliar?

There is a certain stigma that comes along with living in Lynchburg after graduating from Liberty. For some reason, it seems as though if you’re not moving somewhere and acquiring a full-time job the second your graduation cap falls to the ground, your choice is in question. Yet, I’m still here, and I’ve never felt surer of a choice to stay.

At the end of this past summer, I had two opportunities: one was to work in Washington, D.C., and one was to come back and work as an Event Supervisor for Student Activities. In the moment, it seemed like the most difficult choice of my life, but I think I knew all along that I had unfinished business here at Student Activities and in Lynchburg in general. As I moved back, I had to fight the fear of not having enough of these words: success and adventure.

Of course, “success” and “adventure” mean different things to different people. For me, both of these words mean not being stagnant. If I am always growing into a person that is more like the Lord, constantly being pruned and growing and then being pruned and growing again, I will be successful and I will be taken on the greatest adventure wherever I am at that point in life.

Yet, for some reason, it seems like D.C. or New York City or any other big city that I am so drawn to holds more “success” and “adventure” than Lynchburg does. It’s easy to idealize these places into something greater than they already are, making little ole Lynchburg seem somewhat insignificant.

When I graduated from Liberty, I did not know that my journey of growth here was not over. I needed to come back and endure a hard year in a place that is the same yet so different from what it used to be for me. Moving back made me realize that at this point in my life, this is where I need to be.

I’m learning that maybe it’s not the place that determines the degree to which you are experiencing success and adventure; instead, it’s your outlook on the place. A place is made by the community it holds and the growth that this community spurs you on to, and right now, Lynchburg is that place for me.

What is your “place” at this point in your life?

It is that time of year! Student Activities is now fully into a season of planning for Coffeehouse. This week, we are hosting tryouts to determine which acts will be awarded a spot into Coffeehouse on April 9th. As many of you already know, the theme for Coffeehouse will be “The Legends”, encompassing many legendary singers, songwriters, and bands throughout history. From Aretha Franklin, to Michael Jackson, to The Beatles (just to name a few), each of these legends left a lasting an impact as one of the greatest musical artists of our time. However, not all legends had an easy path. Some of the most famous artists faced heavy criticism along the way, challenging them to work harder to achieve their goals and earn respect.

One such artist is Elvis Presley. When his career began in the mid-1950’s, many journalists and even parents were outraged by the concerts that Elvis orchestrated. One journalist even stated at the start of Elvis’s career,* “Elvis can’t sing, can’t play the guitar, and can’t dance”. Parents were especially concerned for their kids to see Elvis live, whether on TV or in concert, because his dancing and other movements were so provocative at the time. Even though he stirred up a great deal of controversy throughout the 1950’s and 60’s, Elvis persevered on his road toward stardom that popularized rock ‘n’ roll music in America, and impacted other genres including country and gospel.

The Beatles, one of the truly great bands in rock history, faced critique early on in their careers. However, 50 years ago, many people questioned, criticized, and even mocked them for their musical skill set. For example, The New York Times said, “The Beatles’ vocal quality can be described as hoarsely incoherent, with minimal enunciation necessary to communicate the schematic texts. The Los Angeles Times had similar beliefs: “With their bizarre shrubbery, The Beatles are obviously a press agent’s dream combo. Not even their mothers would claim that they can sing well. Despite such harsh criticism, The Beatles continued on, and their arrival in the US redefined the meaning of the term “teen heartthrob” and forever changed the way people experienced music.

Another legendary artist who overcame many critical challenges is Bob Dylan. When accepting his 2015 MusiCare award, he stated, “I’m glad for my songs to be honored with such high esteem. But you know, they didn’t get here by themselves. It’s been a long road and it’s taken a lot of doing.” Individuals from day one of Bob Dylan’s career questioned his abilities. Some said, “He can’t sing. He croaks. Sounds like a frog” to even saying he can’t carry a tune and talks his way through a song. Comments like these only furthered Dylan’s passion and desire to create music that audiences have enjoyed for years. With a deep respect for musical tradition, Bob Dylan left an impact on the culture around him, and is one of the iconic figures in American music.

Coffeehouse: The Legends gives an opportunity for students to pay homage and respect to some of the greatest artists of all time. But just like these legends experienced, public performance comes with adversity, part of which is hearing the voices of critics. Looking back on past Coffeehouse acts, all of those performances displayed a level of talent and greatness that I know I cannot replicate. Yet, some performances during Coffeehouse are criticized for the performers’ talent or abilities. But as previously mentioned, even legendary artists like Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, and The Beatles were criticized for the same things. As students prepare for tryouts this week, let us not forget the level of respect each group deserves. Whether or not a group is awarded a spot in Coffeehouse, we hope everyone will display a level of appreciation to the groups who take the step to even tryout in the first place. For those that do move onto the big stage and perform under the lights, just try to remember that you are performing for the audience, not the critics.

The Devil Wears Prada formed in Dayton, OH in 2005. Though they have changed a bit since those early days, they have risen to become one of the top names in metalcore, Christian or otherwise, and have toured with almost all of the other top names in the genre. And you thought nothing good could come from Ohio.

Their name comes from the novel by Lauren Weisberger released in 2003, and though there is information out there suggesting that their name is a statement against materialism, band members have stated publicly that this is not really the case. The truth is much less glamorous – basically, they named their band after a popular book at the time and it stuck, whether they like it or not. In fact, this is a nice reminder that not everything needs to have a greater significance or deep, deep meaning in order to be good, and in that sense, their name is quite fitting. They are who they are, and you can like them or not.

Who they are, currently, is Mike Hranica, Jeremy Depoyster, Andy Trick, and Daniel Williams. The most significant of the aforementioned changes came this past year when one of the founding members, guitarist Chris Rubey, left the band to pursue other interests. In terms of the band’s sound, you can hear their maturation over the course of their 5 full-length albums, 1 live album, and 2 EP’s, culminating in the 2013 album 8:18 and their latest release, The Space EP. And it is a good thing, too. Jeremy Depoyster talks about cringing at the thought of some of their older works. To us, this is one of the most interesting things about bands who last more than a few years and/or albums: there is always a desire to change, improve, and evolve, yet you can never really outgrow the past and what got you where you are. At their core, though, The Devil Wears Prada remain true to themselves and their roots, maintaining their faith and the essentials of their style. It is an interesting juxtaposition to hear a band so heavy with songs titled Dogs Can Grow Beards All Over, This Song Is Called, and Danger: Wildman, such as they had on their earlier albums, a lightheartedness that extends to their Zombie EP release from 2010. Yet, at the heart of the band is also a seriousness and introspection, evident on their album 8:18, taken from Romans 8:18 and focusing on various manifestations of suffering and misery in the lives of believers. “I’m always hoping to maybe change,” they say on the track Sailor’s Prayer from 8:18, a line that in some ways summarizes their career to this point, whether as a band or as individuals. They are navigating the difficult waters of “real life”, of maturation as people and as artists, finding their sound while growing in popularity. A difficult task to be sure, but despite these challenges, they have handled the difficulties well, and we are excited to see where they end up.

Tickets are on sale now and are just $12 in advance for Liberty students. Check out all the information at www.liberty.edu/sa.

Sources

• http://www.billboard.com/artist/400338/devil-wears-prada/biography
• http://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/mike_hranica_of_the_devil_wears_prada/
• http://www.fuse.tv/videos/2013/09/the-devil-wears-prada-bible-verse-8-18
• http://www.altpress.com/features/entry/interview_the_devil_wears_prada_vocalist_mike_hranica_on_his_new_book_one_a
• http://thatmetalstation.com/toms-spotlight-band-the-devil-wears-prada/

I was once a CFAW.

I remember standing in front of my red-cushioned seat, looking around the half golf ball-shaped building, wide-eyed and wondering where this place would take me. I was singing the words of old and new hymns along with Justin Kintzel and the rest of the campus band. I recall closing my eyes and asking myself, “What would you do if you made it here? What if this were your life?”

My journey at Liberty University began in the fall of 2012, after I graduated from high school and left everything I knew in Fleming Island, Florida behind. Before I moved to Lynchburg, I had visited Liberty twice for College for a Weekend events. Both CFAW’s that I visited made me desire more and more to come to this place that seemed so different from the rest. Liberty is the only school I applied to; it was really the only school I cared about at all. That was all because of CFAW.

Now, my life at Liberty looks extremely different from the life I experienced when I came to CFAW, or even my life freshman year. I am an Event Supervisor here at Student Activities and I have no residential classes, so I spend most of my time on campus at work. Because of this, I feel a little disconnected from the student body. At Student Activities, we work so hard to make things great for students that sometimes it’s easy to forget what it’s like to have the wonder of being a student.

Last week, we had a CFAW concert in the Vines Center featuring Citizens and Saints, Kings Kaleidoscope and John Mark McMillan. I spent the day doing laps around the building, making sure everyone was taken care of and generally happy. At one point in the night, I made my way to the floor and looked around for a few minutes. I saw how absorbed in the concert the students and visitors were; whether their eyes were open or closed, they were soaking in every moment, just like I did when I first visited.

It’s so easy to be caught up in the lives we have found ourselves in here at Liberty. We get into a routine, it feels monotonous, and we forget why we chose to come here in the first place. Seeing those thousands of students at the concert made me regain perspective. It made me stop for a moment and remember that I’m here because I know I’m supposed to be here. It reminded me to find the joy of every moment here, so that even in the everyday, routine moments, I will remember to be thankful.

A few weeks ago, Student Activities took a large group of students to Wintergreen Resort on a Saturday ski/snowboard trip. We were able to spend all day on the slopes and I loved it! The air was cold, the snow was fresh, and much to my surprise, the selfies were unceasing. I was really taken aback by the phones, cameras, tablets and GoPro’s all over the mountain. They all seemed to have one purpose: snap pictures of the shooter and upload it to the nearest social media platform. #selfie #skiing #snowboard #liveauthentic #snow #fun #cold #gooutsideandplay #adventure

But, why the selfie? We live in an age that claims to value authenticity. We have so many outlets to prove just how authentic we are. In fact, some of the most popular hashtags have to do with living “authentic”. Yet, at the same time, we post selfies and other pictures of us doing things all over the internet. My question is this: If we are living authentic lives, why do we need to incessantly post pictures depicting who we are? I would just like to propose a disheartening answer: because we are not truly living authentically.

According to an excellent podcast titled “The Art of Authenticity”, Dr. Maria Sirois explains that true authenticity involves both self-authoring and self-measuring. One must be the complete initiator of their lives and also be the tool used to measure their own progress. For example, this means that you decide to go for a hike without any influence from your friends. You don’t choose to hike to impress anyone or to gain credibility. You also decide for yourself whether and to what degree the hike was good, fun, and worth taking. Living authentic means that you don’t use anyone else’s input to decide if your hike was valuable. I see an irony in the selfie. Are we posting pictures of ourselves to live a more authentic life? Or, is there a sinful nature in us that yearns for the approval and admiration of our peers?

The danger of seeking more attention from our posts or photos is that we find our identity in that attention. If our identity is bound by the opinions of others, we will change the way we live to honor others’ expectations. At this point, we lose our own identity completely. What if we don’t find our value in the number of likes our recent post gets? Would that begin to make us more authentic? I wonder if our feeds would have fewer duck faces, selfies, or humblebrags.

Maybe next time you are out doing an awesome thing, take the picture just for you, or maybe share it just with your closest friends. Living authentic doesn’t mean that we impose our personal feelings, actions and emotions onto others. It is simply living them out. True authenticity doesn’t come from a selfie; it certainly doesn’t come from being on a mass media platform. Instead, it can be something you carved onto the handle of a nice walking stick, scratched into the bottom of your skis, or written onto the roof of the tent you use stargazing. It should be personal and memorable. Authenticity is for YOU. Selfies are for… well, I honestly don’t know the end to that sentence…

Be the author and the measurer of your life. Take a picture of that beautiful mountain sunrise and place it on your desk, or snap that hilarious picture of your friend drooling in her sleeping bag for your private album. Take these pictures and use them to remember the moments, because YOU know they are worth remembering.

Don’t take a picture to prove who you are, live it.

ICYMI: The 58th Annual Grammy Awards were this past Monday. This may be the only fact of this entire piece – the rest will be my thoughts and opinions, however widely-accepted they have become. I must admit, I was a little disappointed with the night as a whole. There were some highlights, some shots fired, and lots of lip-licking by LL Cool J. Here are some of my takeaways…

• Taylor Swift swift kicked off the show with a huge version of “Out of the Woods.” It wasn’t bad…it also wasn’t great, definitely not T. Swift’s most memorable moment from the show. What I remember most were her over-the-top reactions when winners were announced. This seems to be a trend with her…she reacts the way I imagine I would if I won the lottery. If this is the way she reacts to an (arguably arbitrary) award, what do you think her legitimate surprised reaction looks like? I imagine it looks something like those fainting goats.
• Kendrick Lamar’s performance was straight fire emoji. No…literally…there was a giant bonfire on stage during his set. I must admit, I’m not a huge hip-hop fan, but I like Kendrick. He’s like Kanye, but better, less pretentious, and he actually smiles.
• The Weeknd’s hair made another appearance. What is going on there?
• The highlight of the show to me was the James Bay + Tori Kelly collaboration. Bay’s “Let It Go” is one of the better songs from last year, and Tori Kelly is arguably one of the best female vocalists in the room. If you missed it, watch it.
• Adele…poor Adele. If you didn’t see it, you missed what sounded like a cat pawing at a guitar during her performance of “All I Ask”. What was supposed to be a powerful, low-key moment turned into a head scratching and disappointing 3 minutes. I’ll admit, I muted Adele. God forgive me.
• There were several performances in tribute to David Bowie, B.B. King, Maurice White, Lemmy Kilmister and Glenn Frey. No disrespect, but they were mostly forgettable.
• While some performances were meh, others were just downright not good. They are as follows: Little Big Town, Justin Bieber, Carrie Underwood/Sam Hunt, Pitbull.

Much more happened during the two-and-a-half hour long broadcast, but #GRAMMYs on Twitter was far more entertaining to me for much of the show. Let us know what you thought of the show!

For some people, it’s a sport. You step onto the field that you hold so dear and you feel different than you did before – it’s like something is awakened inside of you. For some, it may be painting or some sort of art that can be created with your hands. When you hold the paintbrush, you let go of all tension or stress that you may be feeling. Whatever it is, there is something that we all need to make us feel like our truest selves.

For me, I need words.

It’s the way that I see love and feel able to give love. As an English graduate student, I have decided to dedicate everything to a future of writing and reading – essentially, a future of words. My love for words began at a young age (four years old, to be exact) when I learned to read and Dr. Seuss became my favorite author (and the only author I could really read). The older I became, my love for words in stories became more and more noticeable to me and to my family. I wrote a chapter of a book at age seven and another one after that as an eight year old.

All of this is to say that words have been very important to me ever since I can remember, and now I am the type of person who feels a lot of built-up emotion and tension unless I can write words down about why I feel a certain way. Writing about it is sort of like having a rough draft of words that express everything you need to, just to yourself or to whomever you desire to share it with.

When I open a book or have a blank piece of paper and a pen, I feel at home. I’m lucky that this is what I’m passionate about in life – not everyone can carry around what makes them feel at home in their bag.

Words are important, and I have seen this in the books I read and the way I express myself through writing. I also see it in conversation – there is something about spending an hour or two in a meaningful chat with a friend that can change everything about your life. Words are everything, and the more we see their value, the better we can be at relationships in general.

I’m a lover of words. What are you passionate about?

The big day is finally here! It’s the day to show someone how important they are to you by planning a killer date. Do you want to knock the socks off of your boyfriend, girlfriend, or that guy or girl in your brother/sister dorm that finally said you can “hang out”? The following steps are 100% tested, tried and true when it comes to planning a great date.

Step One: Whoever is picking up the other person for the date, make sure you are playing love songs that are by extremely obscure artists. If the song has ever seen a top chart, it should not be playing in your car (don’t even think about playing Bieber’s new(ish) album!!).

Step Two: If you’re a guy, make sure your dashboard is lined with an appropriate amount of trendy plants (succulents, anyone?) for when you pick her up. If you’re a girl picking up your guy, then this should already be checked off the list.

Step Three: Make sure your outfit complements the VSCO filter you have chosen for the night. If it does not complement the filter well, you should both take the time to change your clothes if you care anything at all about how creative people think you are.

Step Four: Boots. It’s February, and you need to make sure boots are included in the outfit you have chosen to run with. And if you’re not cuffing your pants, you aren’t doing it right.

Step Five: Make sure to stay away from “untrendy/ungrammable” foods. You want your Instagram to scream trendy, not trying. Make sure you stand on some sort of chair or booth to get the full effect of the photo.

Step Six: After dinner, it’s obviously picture time. Don’t forget to grab a few selfies, awkwardly ask a stranger for a picture of the two of you against a rare brick wall (which the stranger will definitely not capture the way that you want them to), and take a “follow me” picture. If you need help knowing how to pose for this picture, simply make sure that there is a good background and your significant other is walking in front of you. If you do this, everything in your life will be okay.

Step Seven: Netflix. And chill. Not the phrase that refers to something that Liberty students would never do, but actually kick back, turn on the series you are going through together, or start a new one. Just make sure there is room for the Spirit (and also Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) on that couch. Whatever show you choose, remember that it will be vital to the growth of your relationship, since you’ll be watching it together often.

Honestly, if you follow these steps, you will have a pretty good time. And not only will you have a good time, but you will show everyone how great of a time you had. What could be better?

Well, there is one simple step that could help you enjoy your night like never before:

Step One: Unplug.

Put your phones away and enjoy each other’s company. I promise you, your night will be much better than you expected. Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone.

If you have been keeping up with the Student Activities blog at all, you may have read that as a staff, we really appreciate the time that we spend together. Of course, there are times when our gears get grindin’ and our smiles are a bit forced, but nine times out of ten we really enjoy each other’s company inside and out of work.

For me, these relationships began when I joined Student Activities three years ago, relationships that will last me a lifetime. I have met some of my best friends in the SA department, and because of that, last year was one of the most difficult years for me.

When you have a group of people who go from working or being together in nearly every single day, life takes a 180-degree turn when they graduate and move away. And even if they stay around Lynchburg, you know that the friendships are going to change.

I miss my friends so much every single day. I feel as though we were all standing on a sheet of ice (that was really made up of IHOP, SA staff shirts, and old cars that we would dance on top of), and the ice would become thicker and thicker with each passing day that we spent together.

The week that my best friends moved away, I felt as though our sheet of thick, frozen water began to crack and the pieces began to float away from each other, and so far away from me. One of them made its way to Canada, dropping off friends in Pennsylvania on the way. One drifted all the way to Washington. Even the sheet that stayed in Lynchburg broke away from mine a little bit.

Yet, I remind myself when I panic at the seeming unreachability of these sheets of ice that the one I am standing on is made up of so much more than just frozen water. It’s thicker than that. It’s real, unconditional, full love.

People will leave us in life, but this does not mean that they are ever really gone. Sometimes, it just means that we have to stand on the memories that we have made until we can make new ones. And when time and distance keep me from the people in my life that I love, I have learned that the sadness of being apart can make our bond stronger.

In the (infamous?) words of Winnie the Pooh, “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”