The last 12 hours have been filled with two major ceremonies.  Last night was the Falls School of Business banquet.  Students got to wine and dine (minus the wine) with faculty and staff of the FSB.  Awards were given to students, honors were directed to certain faculty, students spoke, people laughed and it was a good time.  The first big realization that the end is near – graduation is coming.

    Today was senior chapel.  All graduating students were requested (and most showed) to line up in the Decker breezeway in cap and gown attire.  A prequel for what will come in 9 days.  It’s kind of sad because it reminded me of High School graduation, only four short and yet long years ago.  Much has changed since then.  The world around me is different.  The world abroad is different.  I am different.  I’ve grown and changed and today was a reminder of how far I’ve come…and hopefully, how much farther I have to go.

-Jon   

Chapel.  That word alone on this campus holds many connotations and can leave different tastes in everyone’s mouth.  The great and late comedian Mitch Hedberg once said, “You can’t please everyone all the time…and last night, all those people were at my show.”  That’s kind of how every Tuesday and Thursday chapel at 10 o’clock is here at AU.  You can’t please everyone all the time.  When you have 2700 people gather together, you get all kinds of different mixes.  Some are Christians, some are not.  Some have different beliefs, some don’t even know what they believe.  Some prefer contemporary worship, some prefer the spoons.  Some prefer reverence, others prefer the buddy Jesus image from Dogma.

So yesterday was an intro to Vision Revision for Chapel next week (duh duh duh!).  We have a couple themed weeks during the year and they are usually very good.  Students even come to evening services by choice!  I know that may not seem like a big deal, but trust me, it says a lot.  Anyway, it’s been the talk lately around campus.  It started off with Matthew West making a random appearance and singing a few songs.  Then the theme was introduced of waking up and being in awe of God and everything around us that He has created; so they edited some clips from movies like Hook, Elizabethtown and Lord of the Rings.  Only one word could summarize that part-bangerang!  Then came the really cool part…you ready for this?  One of our students, Anna Long, wrote an INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL piece of music that was played by a full set of violins, basses, electric bases, four different guitars, grand piano, keyboard, drums, another set of drum beats, a choir and other instruments that I don’t even know about.  I mean, she’s like the female version of August Rush.  She’s Augustina Rush!  Anyway, the whole thing was put together by a lot of people but headed up by Anna’s sister, Ally and it was beautiful.  It was a great chapel experience that a lot of people enjoyed and were impacted by.  That’s all I got here, feel free to shoot me a line anytime!

-Jon

So, I know it’s Sunday night, but I’m going to write a post about Thursday. I’m always running behind!

 Thursday’s chapel was absolutely amazing. A bunch of students spoke about our need for unity and a renewed spirit on campus, and then challenged the student body to do something about it. They had placed 2,100 small wooden crosses in the Valley (the middle of campus), symbolizing our 2,100 undergrad students. Any of us who wanted to commit to making those changes were encouraged to take a cross with us.

I’ll be honest though… I saw something completely heartbreaking after chapel. I saw a student go straight to the Valley, kick over a cross, pick it up, snap it over his knee, and then throw it back down. He walked away without ever saying a word. The whole crowd was stunned for a few moments. I don’t think any of us knew what to do. It was such a violent response to a message of peace.

Then I got to see something beautiful. Another student, my friend Gina, walked over and picked up the pieces, and the rest of us took our crosses from the ground. I am sad for the guy. I wonder what has happened to him while at AU to make him so angry. I don’t know who he is or where he lives, but I hope his floormates, RD, and professors are there for him to talk to. I know mine have always been a huge support system for me.

Today kicked off Spiritual Emphasis Week, a time when we, as a campus, focus on what God is trying to do in our lives. Hopefully we are doing that all the time, and not just this week. BUT, Spiritual Emphasis Week is a great time when we are intentionally challenged to look even deeper than normal.

 This year’s speaker is Shane Claiborne. He is amazing! I remember him coming to speak in Chapel last year. He’s this crazy (in a good way) guy with dreadlocks and home-made clothes. He has the most amazing stories, like purposefully sleeping on the streets of New York, knowing he would get arrested with the rest of the homeless people out that night. Or, the time he helped organize a jubilee right outside of Wall Street. As they rang the bell inside, they started throwing cash (which they had earned through winning lawsuits, and the lawsuits came about due to being arrested for helping the homeless…) from the tops of buildings and playing music so that there was a party atmosphere. Needy people living on the streets were able to scoop up as much money as they needed and enjoy some time with new friends. It all sounds so crazy, but I figure Jesus was pretty crazy too!

 During Spiritual Emphasis Week, the speaker (Shane) gives talks in Tuesday and Thursday’s chapels, plus worship services each night. Tonight my friends Joel and Nick started the service with some music, then Shane took over with another great message and more incredible stories about his life and how he is trying to live each day for Jesus.

I love going to a school that gives me opportunities like this… to hear great speakers who aren’t necessarily your typical Sunday morning preacher. And what’s even better is that I go to a school where it doesn’t stop there. I can talk to my friends about everything we learn, and we can work together to change for the better and make a difference. I’m excited about the conversations that will happen because of Shane’s messages!