This is the end...for now

Holy Cow! That’s it! The semester is done. Where the heck did it all go? The daily chapels, the mountains of homework, the bonus bites at lunch…they’re all gone! I don’t know about you, but I’m so glad it’s over. This semester has been…I honestly don’t know. I’ve found myself crawling ever closer to the day where I will no longer be at LBC…and moving on to grad school (yes I know I will always be in school!).

And, while I could sit here and bore you with tales of my experiences this semester I figured I would interview a real LBC student and get their take on the semester. I was able to “sit” down with someone who was just ending their first semester here at LBC. Just so you know, sit down means the interview was done over facebook chat…oh technology how lazy you have made us, but I digress.

Transferring into LBC as a sophomore from New Tribes Bible Institute in Jackson MI, Leah Yarnell is a student new to the LBC scene. As the end of the semester comes to a close I asked her what her impression of LBC was thus far. Her response, not surprisingly was this, “LBC is a great place to learn and grow. There are great people who can help you to grow in your relationship with the Lord and also to model what that relationship looks like.” However, Leah is looking forward to getting home for Christmas, as this will be the first time in two years that her parents (missionaries to Papa New Guinea), will be home. Leah is planning on returning next semester to LBC and working on classes for her major in the Women in ministry program.

I feel that no matter what our individual perceptions of the semester might be I couldn’t agree with Leah more. LBC is filled with great people who are willing to help us out along the way. As in my previous semester I’ve grown much closer to my friends. The events in our lives cause us to rely on accountability with each other as well as the growing dependence of Christ in all situations.

Enjoy the Christmas season weather it is with family or friends remember the true reason why we celebrate! This will be the last blog here for a while but be assured I will return next semester in full force!

Higgins

Thankfulness

As I sit here, in my living room lights down low, with a candle burning on the coffee table listening to The Swell Season, I’m reminded of all the things that I have to be thankful for. So, I have decided to make a list in particular order.

My childhood – I’m grateful that my parents made the decision in impart certain things into my life as a child. Despite the mistakes I’ve made, those things have made me who I am today.

My friends – I seriously don’t think I could have made it through this year without all the guys from Bru. You have been there during my worst days and have been there to make memories with me that will I never forget (Almost getting arrested because of a Moose, almost getting in fights at the movie theatre, God Squad, Attack of the Easter Bunny, Barn Parties, the list could go for days). I have been truly blessed with the best of friends. There were even a few people outside of Bru, which have made an impact as well. Needless to say I’m thankful for you all.

My family – My family has always had one rule; do what you want. Don’t worry about what other people are going to say, do what makes sense to you. More specifically do what God wants you to do. Also, be a team player. My mom always compared our family to a basketball team, if one player wasn’t helping out the entire team would fail.

My school – I have been given an amazing opportunity, to study, to grow, and to figure out what I believe. LBC has given me a chance to do that, and has introduced me to many great professors who care about me more than my grades. I’ve never felt like just a number.

I look back in my life and can see that I have a lot of things to be thankful for. I see things as a scale, with the amazing things on one side and the…well not so amazing things on the other. Thankfully, the good has outweighed the bad.

So what are you thankful for?

Something to think about

I have wanted for sometime now, to have others do some writing for the blog. I also, am a big fan of stirring things up and getting people to question things. This post will most certainly do both. Without further adieu a post from Ricky...enjoy!

Worship, Women and LBC

There was a lot of talk about worship today after chapel. Rev. Hollingsworth’s “sermon” seemed to lead many to think. I know I thought about it today. I spent the better half of the day thinking about it actually. Thinking about women and their roles, how we worship, why we worship and how we could do it better. These are a few things that came to mind while meditating on our chapel today.

I do not like modern worship. I do not believe it attracts people to the church in fact I think it repels them. Watch a movie called saved where they make fun of it. Better yet the episode of south park (I am not a fan of south park I did a project on this episode) where they make fun of how the characters become Christian music singers because they couldn’t make it in the real music industry. Those who are not of us do not like our music and if you think they do you are sadly mistaken. They use it to mock us and make fun of it.

I think modern worship is nothing more than a distraction leading people away from truly worshiping Christ. For example when many people worship they use a light show. I have been told this sets a mood for worship. Honestly, this is nothing more than an unnecessary distraction. It causes people to focus their attention onto the lights instead of the object of our worship, God.

Another distraction is the worship leader himself, or after chapel today herself. Often times worship leaders treat worship as if it is a concert (and that whole song about worship being a concert for one is a crappy song). If we were to do away with worship leaders altogether then there really wouldn’t be any debate about women leading worship. This now leads me to a rabbit trail that I will take even though I probably should not take.

Men and women have different roles in creation. Men are expected to be the
leaders of their households, the church and creation itself. Women are to be in submission to men 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. It is the man's role and not the woman’s to lead worship and every other aspect of the church service. Now if you want to make this about the role of women in ministry don’t because it’s about worship. We can talk about the woman’s role another day. Now its time to go back to the topic of worship.


Modern worship is not only a distraction but I find it irreverent to God. We sing songs about how God is so close to us. Songs that sound like you are in a dating relationship with God. What happened to the songs that talked about his justice, his sovereignty, grace, wrath and mercy? Today we sing about how we want to feel him close to us.

I remember a story a good friend of mine told me about his brother at Liberty. He said there was this girl who would go down to the front of the chapel at Liberty and dance around while running her fingers through her hair. When he asked her why she did this she said this “when I am down there like that it is like I am having sex with God.” Now of course this is an extreme example however, I feel that is the mentality modern worship leads to. It is just to touchy feely.

Another huge issue I have with worship is that it all culminates with the sermon. In modern worship the purpose is to lead up to the sermon. Today the sermon is the highlight of the worship service and this should not be. It is my belief that every time we worship God we should end with communion and not with the sermon. Communion should be the culmination of the worship service. Communion is how we memorialize what Christ has done for us and that should be done weekly and should be the final step in the worship service. Christ’s death and resurrection should be the focal point of the worship service not the sermon, not the music and most certainly not the offering.

I apologize if these thoughts offended anyone. This was not my intention at all. I only want us to stop and think about the things we do. To consider is what we are doing is truly the right way. Or if we are only self righteous and hypocritical. If you disagree with me on these points that is fine and your questions, comments and concerns are more than welcome.

The bottom line is this. Worship is a heart thing and I am not entirely sure that modern worship leads the heart in the right place. I think it has caused nothing but division and strife. I think it is a distraction and irreverent to God. We need to look at these things openly and honestly and seriously make some changes because after today’s chapel it is clear we do not have it figured out.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsHH_HYSkH8

Music you should be listening to

Every once in a while I come across some music that I feel is worthy of many people listening to. One such band I started listening to, and then everyone else followed suite was Ocean City...so you're welcome. Now there is a new band that I can't stop listening to, Deas Vail (which is a combination of Latin and French meaning Humble servants of God).

I want you to close your eyes and imagine this band. Take 1 part Mae, 1 part Copeland, 1 part Mew (danish band I highly suggest listening to them!) The vocals in the band are incredible. The lead singer Wes Blaylocok's voice so melodic and smooth. When combined with the melodies of his wife (met her at the Chameleon Club very cool person) Laura, blend together so amazingly that you will be listening to this cd all day!

The band hails from Arkansas on the Mono vs Stereo label. They currently have four albums out and one EP. Their newest album came out (online only) on October 27th 2009, titled Birds and Cages. They are currently on tour with Mae.


"Anything You Say" from All the Houses Look the Same (Youtube link)

"Write me down, I am the words: falling apart. Take this broken world off of my heart. So I stumble down into the room where the templates are made. And you show me that somehow I can change these days."

Coming soon!

I promise there is an update coming soon! There have been many factors beyond my control as to why I haven't been able to update. Here are a few reasons:

1. I've been working a lot (at my job not just school work)
2. The school year is definitely picking up (work load is increasing)
3. I've been sick (I was sick for a couple weeks so I didn't feel like writing)

In my next update I will doing a cd review on a couple cd's that you seriously need to own! So, until then, I pray that your semester is going well and to those who are not feeling well, get healthy please, being sick sucks! 

Oh! And I almost forgot, congrats to the men's soccer team for winning game one of their play offs!   

Blessings!
Higgins

A Message From Your Friendly Neighborhood Writing Center

Here on the blog from time to time I get the question, "Hey, can I post something?" Which usually leads to me laughing hysterically...but seriously, this blog is meant for students and as such students write it. One such message that has come my way (and might be a ploy to get me to make an appointment) was from the writing center. And without further adieu, a message from your friendly neighborhood writing center:


Essay. Such an innocent word, but oh such dire implications. In some cases, the word “essay” can be synonymous with “40% of my grade.” Not so innocent anymore. Sometimes it can mean “a Big-Gulp of coffee coupled with 17 hours of my life.” And sometimes, it can mean “doomed… utterly and totally doomed.”
Let’s face it. Essays are a critical medium through which professors evaluate our knowledge. But what if you are simply not a great writer? What if you have all these great ideas in your head, but as soon as they touch the paper they recoil as if you just dipped them in boiling water? Or maybe you get your paper back and there are so many red marks on it that it looks like the professor had a nose bleed right over the page. Or maybe you’ve got this assignment sheet in your hand, and all you can do is sit and stare at the computer screen praying for rapture. What do you do?
Unlike many of the problems mankind has managed to dig itself into, the solution to this catastrophe is quite simple. You go to the LBC Writing Center, located above the library. There, you will find students who can offer help in any stage of the writing process, whether it’s brainstorming for ideas, organizing the paper, utilizing proper grammatical conventions, or formatting/citing MLA style. Even accomplished writers can benefit from a session in the writing center. A second pair of eyes and an outside perspective can be valuable tools in the writing process.
To make an appointment, go to your student homepage (you can access this by clicking “students” on http://www.facebook.com/l/a14a2;www.lbc.edu). Scroll down until the “writing center” box appears on the right hand side. Click the link to navigate to the online scheduler. Be sure to register if it is your first visit, and follow the instructions to log-in and schedule. Make sure you schedule your session for one hour (otherwise it won’t work). When you show up to your appointment, be sure to bring your assignment sheet and two copies of your paper.
While essay still might mean “a crapload of work,” the image of the gates of hell itself no longer has to be the first thing that pops into your mind. But don’t take my word for it; schedule an appointment, and find out for yourself.


Thanks to Sarah Anderson for this write up!

Sorry

Sorry for the hiatus. I am working on some new things for the blog and the are taking up the time that I would be using to write. In other words, I've got a ton of homework and haven't had much time to update. So, I apologize for not having something to new to read.

Anyway, what is going on in your LBC life? How are classes? What is going on? I hear a lot of things around campus, and would love to see some people do so write ups for the blog. It's always good to have some different perspectives (as well as maybe some proper comma usage). So, if you know anyone who fancies themselves a writer send them my way.

Again sorry for the long break in blogs, I pray that your semester is going and that you continue to see God's hand in all you do!

Blessings!
Higgins