Where Are You Going? JMU!
September 25, 2019
In truth, despite growing up right around the Lynchburg area, there was absolutely no desire for me to go to Liberty University growing up. We would occasionally go to the Lahaye Ice Center to skate or to the Vines Center for a basketball game, but nothing really appealed to me until I found out what Convocation was and then looked deeper into all the things Liberty had to offer (becoming a Christian also helped shape my desire to come to Liberty, but that’s a different story). All of this to say that before deciding to come to Liberty I was looking into other places; George Mason University, the University of Virginia, to name a few, but the one I honestly think I would have ended up at had I not gone to Liberty is James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, which I will be travelling to over Fall Break.
Don’t worry, I’m not transferring, I am just heading to the home of the Dukes to see some friends I have met through working at Young Life camps during the summer with. It’s odd how friendships that started years ago in Glen Spey, New York and then some that started last summer in Goshen, Virginia can still be alive and well. The Young Life community at James Madison is extensive, with seemingly entire streets being lined with houses filled with Young Life and Wyld Life leaders.
I will mainly be going to see one of my favorite people in the world: Sophie. Bonding over our mutual love for theatre and the University of Virginia (with UVA’s basketball coach Tony Bennett being a man we would both consider donating kidneys to despite never meeting him), we quickly became friends as we worked together as servers the summer after our Senior year of high school at a place called Lake Champion. Before even meeting her I had plenty of connections to Sophie: my Young Life leader in high school named Steph’s (also called Steggs) brother was one of her Young Life leaders in high school as well as her neighbor. Additionally, my freshman year roommate was best friends with her in high school; with this many small world connections and all the good memories I have with Sophie, it is an absolute must to see her whenever I can. Last time I saw her was in March when she and several other of her friends came to Liberty to see Chris Renzema, who was opening alongside gray (who recently performed a student concert for Student Activities) for the Gray Havens.
The last time I was in Harrisonburg was for last year’s New Year’s Ball Drop Party in the town square. About twelve of the people I worked with during last summer gathered in Harrisonburg to catch up, eat a lot of giant pizza slices from Benny’s, and ring in the New Year. With most of the college students being gone, you could tell the town was at a bit of a slower pace than usual, seeing as how Harrisonburg is most certainly a college town, with JMU merchandise visible all over the city. Known for winning the FCS National Championship in 2016, the football games at JMU are a sight to see – who knows, maybe Liberty and JMU could develop an in-state rivalry under the coaching of Hugh Freeze at Liberty.
During the drive up to Harrisonburg, I think I’ll catch up on some albums I haven’t listened to yet, reminiscence about times with friends that go to JMU, or maybe just sit in silence and reflect on how the core of the relationship that I have with most of the people I know that go to JMU is our mutual love for Christ – our family bond in Jesus. Oftentimes in our Liberty bubble we trick ourselves into thinking that the Christian college students of Virginia are all to be found on and around University Boulevard in Lynchburg, but there are vast and thriving Christian communities all over the state. There is nothing wrong with going to a Christian University but there’s something special about stepping out in faith into the world where they may get a little more resistance to Christianity than at Liberty. My admiration for those who choose to do so is extensive and I can’t wait to be in Harrisonburg with some of those people over Fall Break. Go Dukes!
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.