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Based on my credibility as an 19-year-old female who has 16 original Spotify playlists, 23 Pandora Radio stations, and 12 unique car radio presets (which after all are the only true measure of musical competency), I am more than qualified to say that the upcoming Britt Nicole and for KING & COUNTRY concert on November 7 will be one for the books.

There is no doubt that Britt Nicole is an extremely talented and multifaceted artist. There is also no doubt that she draws upon many genres and styles in order to (p)raise the roof, so to speak. After all, if you take a listen to her music through the years (she’s been a front-runner since her debut in 2007), you can hear undertones of acoustic, R&B, punk, indie, and even some dubstep amidst the notoriously confining label of “bubblegum pop”. Her anthemic ballads and introspective lyrics round out her more upbeat and light-hearted tracks.

There are a plethora of reasons for virtually anyone to listen to and enjoy a performance by Contemporary Christian Music’s “Golden Girl”, so there are no excuses not to come and see her in concert! And speaking of her latest chart-topping album (Gold, 2012), you can expect to “See for the First Time” many “Breakthrough” songs which chronicle the “Amazing Life” of “That Girl”, whether you’re “Ready or Not”.

Don’t forget that the award-winning Australian duo, for KING & COUNTRY will also be in concert with Britt Nicole. The visionary, poignant, and deeply creative songs by this band of brothers will not disappoint, nor will their delightful accents.

So mark your calendars today, and be sure to grab your tickets early. You better get ready to behold the awesomeness of this matchup, as well as “worship your socks off” with two of the most creative and endearing artists that we are proud to have perform here at Liberty University!

Last week, the Nashville-based band All Sons & Daughters made their way to our campus and lead a powerful night of worship to a sold-out crowd of over 600. This was only the second show in the new LaHaye Event Space and it could not have been better. Not only did they play for nearly 90 minutes, they also provided stations for attendees to take communion and write out prayers. They capped the night off with an unplugged version of the classic song, Heart of Worship.

Not only are they talented musicians, but they were great people as well. From their band members to their crew, it was a pleasure working with each of them. Their concern for their craft was evident, but so was their heart to lead others in worship.

Do you have suggestions of bands you’d like to see play in the LaHaye Event Space? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter, or you can email us at studentactivities@liberty.edu.

I remember the first time I walked into Coffeehouse. It was Christmas of 2012 and spirits were high as there was less than a week left until the long awaited Christmas break. As I walked into the Vines Center, I realized that it wasn’t the Vines Center anymore. It was the epitome of the Christmas season for me. As I looked around, I also realized the community I was sitting among – a community of people cheering, laughing, and trying everything they could to get on the jumbotron.

I wanted to be a part of this. I didn’t want to just come to Coffeehouse anymore; I wanted to be the one to make the decorations, to judge tryouts, to take down decoration thieves, and whatever else came with it. I wanted in.

I interviewed to be a part of Student Activities a few months later, when it was springtime and plans for the next year were starting to be jogged in my mind. When I interviewed, I had no idea that there were so few actual Event Staff that put on these events. I was hired as a receptionist at first, and six months later was offered the switch to Event Staff.

I never could have imagined the implications of joining the Student Activities Event Staff in January 2014. I was never anything short of included and loved as I came into a group of people with diverse, outgoing and creative personalities. This group of people amazes me to no end – the full time staff who care individually for each staff member, the supervisors who work so hard to make sure every need is met, and finally, the Event Staff itself. Ten months after joining, I realize that, when I think about my life, their faces pop into my mind almost as quickly as my family’s. They are more important to me than I ever could have imagined.

I think you really bond with people when you work 20 hour shifts with them. There’s something about being exhausted and then seeing a face that you know and hugging that person that lifts spirits like nothing else. We work often and we work long hours, but the time we spend together is always enjoyable simply because we have each other. This may sound cheesy, but I assure you that you can ask any of the 18 of us if this is true and they will say it is.

Student Activities Event Staff is home for me. Walking into the office almost daily and seeing familiar faces smiling at me is the best highlight of my time here at Liberty. The friends I have made on staff are the people I am inseparable with, in and out of work. Our job is to build and sustain a community of believers that know how to have a lot of fun by providing a variety of events that allow just about everyone to build relationships. And our job immediately reflects what Student Activities is like for those of us who work here: we have become a community of believers that are not just friends, but family.

For those of you that were at Block Party 2014, just know it wasn’t rain falling on everyone that night. It was Mother Nature crying because of how awesome NEEDTOBREATHE and The Oh Hellos were. Just crying and crying. For, like, 15 straight minutes.  Good music will do that to you sometimes.

For most of the day, however, the weather was great for the Student Activities Block Party. The crowd of over 7,000 people was energized from start to finish, thanks in part to a great assortment of rides and games. Unless they have severe vertigo or acrophobia, is there anyone who doesn’t like to ride on a Ferris wheel? Strangely, it seems like the same question is true for the mechanical bull (minus the acrophobia); every year we wonder if people will get sick of all that bucking, and every year, the answer is a resounding “no”.

The food options were exceptional this year too, accomplishing our goal of making it as difficult as possible for everyone to decide how to spend their money on food. We were thrilled to have The Canopy Food Truck, Smoke Ring BBQ, and Taco Shark with us for the first time, along with Bahama Sno Shack, Cross Concessions, and Domino’s Pizza. Clubs and Campus Departments were out in full force as well, reminding us, and hopefully everyone else, what a great collection of staff members help make up Liberty University.

Rounding out the night were our special musical guests, The Oh Hellos, followed by the unflappable NEEDTOBREATHE. Almost as impressive as the bands themselves was the commitment of the crowd for NEEDTOBREATHE. Everyone knew the rainstorm was coming, but hardly anyone budged (except the kids who think they were dressed too nice to get rained on – “Bro, let’s get inside, I’m not getting my brand new tank top soaked!”). Nothing felt more appropriate than hearing Needtobreathe play “Washed by the Water” that night. And as always, fireworks closed out our night; they seem to get better every year, this time set off perfectly with the end of the concert, and so a perfect ending to our event. For Student Activities, Block Party is always one of our favorite events, but this year might have been the best one yet.

Have you ever been to the movies alone? For some reason, it feels really different from just watching Netflix at home alone. Even though you generally don’t talk during a movie (unless you’re one of those annoying folks who asks a lot of questions during a movie) it still feels normal to sit and watch with someone. In the same way, it seems better to share a delicious meal or a great concert with someone you care about rather than by yourself. At Student Activities we recognize the value of shared experiences. It is our sincere hope that this school year can be a time when you can attend many of these events and enjoy them with old or new friends.

We filled our extensive calendar with a broad range of events to appeal to various interests. From Open Mic to trail races to Coffeehouse, there is something for everyone. There is value in this variety. Hopefully, you will be willing to try something new or step out of your comfort zone. Each year, it is exciting for the staff to watch people progress from attending our events to participating in them actively (perhaps by performing in Open Mic, Campus Artist Series, the Art Expo, or Coffeehouse). Regardless of what your semester looks like, there will be times when one of our events can provide a time of respite, entertainment, or fun.

We hope that our events can provide an environment for strangers to become friends, for existing friendships to blossom, and for old friends to reconnect. Ultimately, the reason events matter is because relationships matter. Some of the relationships you make while you are here will last a lifetime. We hope to play a small part in fostering them and providing environments for them to thrive.

The Student Activities staff is here to serve their fellow students at Liberty University through our events calendar. Come out, say hi, and let us get to know you. See you at the next event!

Andy Mineo is no stranger to Liberty University – he was here in March 2013 and put on a killer set. But this time around, he’s headlining, which can only mean the performance will be even better. If you’re not familiar, Andy is relatively new to the hip-hop scene; his first full-length album, “Formerly Known,” released in 2011. Since then, he’s been on the rise, hitting the road with Christian hip-hop heavyweights like Lecrae and Tedashii. And he’s not afraid to take a stand and tell the truth within the mainstream hip-hop community. If you saw his performance on MTV’s Rapfix Live 2013 Cypher Blowout, you know what I mean.

Andy’s not traveling alone; KB will be here too! KB is yet another Reach Records artist who’s making a name for himself. After traveling with Lecrae on the Aquire the Fire tour in 2010, and soon after getting signed to Reach Record, KB has gone on to tour the world, releasing a mixtape, a full-length album, and an EP in the process.

On September 19, Andy and KB are making their way to Liberty University and we couldn’t be more excited!

If you want to get a good seat, be sure to get to the Vines Center early. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. General admission AND floor seats are still available – you can pick them up here.

Few friendships seem as magical as that of the group known as The Inklings, particularly the relationship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Based on the grandeur and influence of their works, it almost seems unjust that their meetings took place in such regular, real-life whereabouts as a pub, a cottage, or on a long walk, and not in Middle Earth or Narnia. Yet there they were many Thursday nights, often arguing a topic or discussing literature with one another, but perhaps just as often, doing nothing more than spending time with one another. And this gives hope to the rest of us. As the book about their friendship, The Inklings, reveals, their favorite times were the long walks that “got through the serious arguments in the ten miles before lunch and came down to mere fooling and school-boy jokes as the shadows lengthened.”**

Student Activities draws a great deal of inspiration from this. One of the pillars of our department mission is to foster relationships among Liberty students. We want our events to be the catalyst for the forging of new friendships, for existing friendships to develop and strengthen, and even for the rekindling of old friendships. This is about shared experience – rarely does one want to enjoy something alone. The movies and music that move you, the experience of rafting or rock climbing, or screaming “Bingo!” before your friends: these are meant to be experienced together. Of course, events do not make people become friends (especially if you beat your friend to that “Bingo!”), but they do allow for people with similar interests to become familiar with one another. As we offer multiple opportunities for students to participate in these events, we hope that this will lead to the formation of lasting bonds.

The relationships made during a student’s time at Liberty are, arguably, the most valuable thing that a student takes from here. Now, does that mean students spend $80,000 to come here and make friends? Of course not. But what value do you place on a friend who stands with you at your wedding, who visits you for the birth of a child, who supports you during a life failure or tragedy, who walks with you through life? There is no number for this. This is the potential we see at Student Activities. Though it is not our sole purpose (we will discuss our cultural engagement purpose in a subsequent post), relationship formation is every bit as important to us as the type and quality of the events we provide. Lewis and Tolkien walked together and were better men for it. Through the gospel, Jesus becomes our friend who walks with us forever. At Student Activities, we want our events to become characterized by the reality that “Friendship is having someone to walk with.”

**Quotes and other information taken from Someone to Walk With: Meditations on Friendship by Ray Rhodes