The Pursuit-Part V by Leslie Wood

My lovely blog world – It’s good to reconnect! I don’t know about you but I’ve enjoyed reading the different posts on here over the past few weeks! I’ve known for a month that this blog post was coming but I couldn’t decide on what I wanted to write about. There are so many things I could write about, but at the end of the day, I don’t think you want to read about the ridiculous situations I get myself into (like writing this blog!). I want you to want to read what’s hear so I’ve been going back and forth for the past 4 weeks on what I should write.

I thought I’d write about the Saturday morning my quad-mates set off the fire alarm at 7:45am, waking me up and sending me into “RA” mode grabbing my sub-mast key only rush out and find them cooking bacon on the stove. Yea, I wasn’t too happy about that either. After thinking that one through, I didn’t think it’d make the best blog story – so I kept thinking…

I then realize that we’re in the final week of February, which means we only have one more week to celebrate LOVE! This is the time of year the stores are filled with everything you could ever want red and pink hearts on, the stores have more bouquets of flowers than they know what to do with, the little valentines that you used to send in elementary school (okay, we all know we still did it throughout middle and high school as well) miraculously show up on your doors from your prayer leader, and everywhere you look it seems that couples are getting together.  It’s normal around Liberty to hear girls say their valentine is God, but let’s get real, that’s just a cover up because they want to salvage as much of their pride as possible on the sappiest day of the year. It doesn’t matter who you are, everyone is looking for a valentine this time of year.

For me, Valentines Day was a normal day of classes. I received a package from my parents (who were my valentines this year) with an awesome journal and truffles! I did a little homework, and then the task of figuring out what was for dinner was before me. Should I go to the rot? Fight the crowds and go out with friends? Stay in and cook by myself? After weighing the options, I decided to go to Doc’s with a good friend for a quick, low-key meal because no one would be at Doc’s on Valentines Day – right?!? Wrong! I should have known that plan was a fail when I walked into Doc’s and hardly recognized the place. There were red and white table linens everywhere, bouquets of roses for you to buy, live music from a local band comprised of 60 year old men, and plates of food I had no idea Doc’s even served. I told the hostess there were two of us, and she quickly asked for the name my reservation was under. I didn’t realize I needed a reservation at Doc’s on Valentines Day so I told her I didn’t have one…bad idea because she told me she didn’t have any tables available that night for party’s with no reservation. Are you kidding me?!?! This is Doc’s…and it’s on Valentines night…surely you have made a mistake ma’m. Well, it wasn’t a mistake and it looked like I was out of luck for dinner. As we were leaving, they told us they did have one table and they could sit us at it immediately – oh joy! We made our way to the table to find a candlelit table setting with chocolate hearts sprinkled around. From the excellent service, to the photographer that went table to table taking pictures of people – this dinner was over the top. This unexpected dinner at Doc’s was definitely the best and funniest part of my day!

With Valentines Day being last week, and spring being just around the corner which means only one thing…this campus will soon be bombarded with little sparkly things flashing around on left hands. “Ring by Spring” is a term used frequently around Liberty and it’s a mindset that can so quickly poison the hearts and minds of the young women on this campus. It’s a mindset that can so quickly steal away contentment and make girls want something they are not yet ready for. I’ve seen it happen time and time again….people get together during the first few weeks of being here at Liberty…break up during Spiritual Emphasis Week and then somehow find each other again by spring semester hoping to rekindle the love (or infatuation) they felt when they first were together. I think we can all agree that while this is something we joke about it all the time, it still does happen. The mindset that you must find someone while you are here at Liberty can be such a big distractions and even with good intentions, can turn into an idol.

Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not writing this because I’m bitter and unhappy that I’m a senior and I’m not leaving Liberty with a guy – it just saddens me that so many of the students here focus so much of their time and energy on finding “the right one” when they should be focusing on who they are becoming in Christ and what He is calling them to do in their lives. I’ve realized through several conversations I’ve had these past weeks that it’s easy for students here to over spiritualize their desire to find someone by saturating their prayer life with informing God their desire to find that special someone. Don’t get me wrong I don’t think it’s bad to ask God for that. I think it’s absolutely necessary to express to God your desires but I’ve seen too many times that students focus more on what they want from God and not what God has for them at this moment in their life.

One of the definitions of an idol is, “any person or thing that is regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion.” So many times I see girls (and I’m sure guys do this too) focus all their attention and devotion to finding THE ONE, that is becomes and idol in their life. When this happens they easily lose focus on the other things that God could be doing in their lives as a single. I wonder what would happen if we became a student body who pursued God with the same intensity as the students on this campus pursue relationships. What could he do through our lives?

Please hear my heart, I’m not bashing relationships or marriage. I’m all for marriage, and I hope one day that I’ll have the opportunity to be married, but I believe this time in our lives is such a great time to focus on God and finding contentment in Him and Him alone. Relationships are good, just in God’s timing.

Well, that was a quite a long post. I’m sure February is practically over now that you have finished reading this…I’m longwinded sometimes. Sorry! Anyway, I figured I’d leave you with one more story from this past weekend.

Thomas Road hosted the Love 4 Life Conference this weekend for couples and the one and only Dave Barnes had a mini concert after lunch. I wanted to go because I absolutely love Dave Barnes but I didn’t want to pay the $19 price tag on the conference. I talked with a few friends and we schemed on how we could sneak into the conference just to see Dave. Well, we snuck in during a break and got to hear Dave sound checking. We made sure we had seats close to the front so we could get some good pictures (I know…we’re girls). Dave finally came on stage, sang several songs, and melted all our hearts! I laugh thinking back now because it was obvious that we were only there for Dave.  After he sung, the 6 girls I was with all got up and left…I’m sure the older couples there were rolling their eyes at our youthfulness. Oh well, it made for a fun memory!

Have a good rest of the week – we’re 10 class days away from spring break! You can do it!

Are you my mother?

Most people go to college to get away from their parents. They head to a university to experience freedom, finally breaking free from overprotective moms, overbearing neighbors, nosy church ladies, and iron-fisted fathers. Although I was lucky to grow up with extremely easy-going and lenient parents, I still felt the itch to finally “be on my own.”


Well, those students who come to Liberty (shameless plug: most exciting university on planet earth, just sayin’) with the mindset of escaping all forms of parental units are in for a rude awakening, but not for the reasons you might think.


Surprisingly enough, even with all the rules here at good ol’ LU, students still have a lot of freedom. What’s different about Liberty compared to other colleges is the strong parental-like presence. These “parent-types” are the ones hovering in dorm rooms, checking to see if your room is clean. They tuck you in at night, making sure you arrived home safely. They flock to the S-LAB, proudly flashing their “Champs for Christ” hand gestures. They ask you how your day was, and don’t settle for “fine” as an answer. They use acronyms for everything: LPG, PL, PG, OSL, LTR, RA, SLD, RD, RHLM, etc. They hunt you down on Tuesday night, trying to convince you to go to prayer groups. They sing about climbin in yo’ windows, snatchin yo’ people up…. Oh wait, wrong group of Liberty students.


The parent types of Liberty University are not the pastors, or professors. They aren’t the student care workers or academic advisors… they are those student participants in OSL, namely prayer leaders, spiritual life directors, and resident assistants.


As an active member and supporter of student leadership, the last thing I want to do is compare my position to something with such a negative connotation like a “parent,” but it’s actually a comparison we willingly recognize.


Again, the reason we identify with parents might catch you unaware. Surprisingly enough, it’s not because of law enforcement, but actually because of pride--not a power trip.


Earlier this week, I had the privilege of hanging out with a group of OSL students, and we talked about how our leadership teams become like a family. Each girl takes their position seriously, looking over their prayer group, LPG, or dorm the way a parent looks over their children. We experience deep love, which I think can compare to a mother’s love (I’ll admit I’m not qualified to validate this statement). We pray for family-like unity. We pray for our hall to feel like a home. We pray protection over our dorms. We make sure every student on our hall is prayed for daily. We pray that every situation will help our friends learn in life, without having to repeat any lessons. We patiently wait and watch as they experience trials and make mistakes, being there for support when they are willing to talk about it. But the greatest of these is definitely, at the end of the day, we love like parents and feel proud of the evident growth that takes place in the life of every student. We experience pride when we our roommates and dorm mates “get it.”


This blog was created to “portray student leaders as real people,” and I hope that my attempted connection provides clarity instead of confusion. Sure, the comparison is a little cliché, but if student leadership has taught me anything, it’s to embrace the cliché if you can make a good lesson out of it, and we all know parents will do anything in the name of lessons learned.

Dating Liberty

What do you write for the blog that has everything? Clearly this isn't a question that I had to consider when preparing this blog post. Seriously. Scroll down and see for yourself. A whole two posts?! But I'm a glass half-full kinda guy, so I like to think of it as a blank canvas. Or like a barren wasteland waiting to be fertilized by the stuff that comes out of my mind.

That last paragraph was basically my attempt at stalling because I don't know what to write.

*looks around the blog*

Well . . . maybe it's going to be "The Pursuit- Part 3."

*has a genius idea*

Hold up. Have you ever noticed how actually pursuing life at Liberty (kinda like the title of this blog) is similar to pursuing a girlfriend? No? Well it totally is!

Note to the female readership: I wish I knew how to make this post gender-neutral, but the only gender-neutral options for boyfriend and girlfriend are significant other and partner and mate, and those just sound weird.

The Infatuation Stage

When you first get to LU, everything seems wonderful. You hear students complain about the dining hall, and you think to yourself, "It's not that bad." Then you hear them call it the "Rot," and you get a little defensive: "If you were my lady, I'd never take you for granted like that."

The Dating Stage

But once you enter the dating stage, it's like the "Rot" is that special little pet name that you invented. And as a freshman, you and your friends will giggle every time you say it. But it's not obnoxious or immature; it's the giggle of one who is experiencing his first love. As things keep getting better, you start coming up with your own nicknames for different parts of campus. Instead of the Tilley Center, you simply call it "The Tilllllllll-AY!!!" And since the LaHaye Student Union is far too formal for young lovers, you know it best as "The LaHizzzzzz-AY!!!"

Note: If you are actually this bad at coming up with nicknames, you should avoid doing so with a real girlfriend.

The Settled In Stage

Eventually you become an upperclassman, and the excitement wears offs as you start to take things for granted. The time you once treasured together is still nice, but now you need your "me time," so you skip the occasional class and tell her, "I just don't feel like hanging out right now."

This is also the stage when you begin to see her flaws. Driving on campus used to seem so cute. Every trip was an exciting game of "Don't Kill the Clueless Pedestrian." But it's gotten old, and now you just wish you could drive a quarter of a mile in less than ten minutes.

The Break Up Stage

Breaking up is inevitable - you have to graduate sometime. By the time you've completed all the necessary work for your degree, you are more than ready to take a break. What other girl would expect you to spend $20,000+ in a nine month period. Datin' Liberty be expensive yo!

The Make Up Stage

This stage only exists if you can't find a job elsewhere after graduation. As you sit around your apartment that you can't afford as a poor, debt-laden college grad and fantasize about Ramen, which never seemed like a luxury before, you just wish it wasn't so dark. But now you have to pay the electric bill, so the lights stay off. You feel like you would give anything to get back the campus' awful fluorescent lights. So you contact HR to see if there are any job openings; you're ready to forgive Liberty, to take her back in your arms for a fresh start.

By Mike Wynn

Mike Wynn is a Resident Director for the Office of Student Leadership. He is also the star of The Mr Wynn Show. If you would like to contact Mike about this post, you can do so through his blog: http://themrwynnshow.blogspot.com.

The Pursuit- Part 2

We all know the story. In the book of Exodus, while they wait for Moses to come down from Mount Sinai, the Israelites fashion for themselves a new god. This golden calf, constructed by Moses’ brother Aaron (who, by the way, witnessed all of the world-renowned plagues that the Lord used against Pharaoh and the Egyptians), received burnt offerings, peace offerings, and saw the beginning of the Israelites’ iniquitous blend of pagan and holy traditions. In response the LORD reveals his wrathful intentions to Moses, who then intercedes for the Israelites, asking God to “turn from your [his] burning anger and relent from this disaster against your [his] people.” (32:12).

The LORD listened to Moses and spared the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, but in the next chapter, he introduces a caveat:

“Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” (33:3).

In reading this passage recently, I did a double take after reading this verse – I had never seen this qualification before. The LORD won’t go with his people? Surprising. Moses voices an objection as well:

“If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?” (33:15-16).

Now here is something incredible. God has just given Moses and the Israelites the go-ahead to enter into the promised land, a land flowing with milk and honey, the geographical fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham, something the Israelites have been anticipating for centuries. Moses recognizes all of the preceding expectancy and yet refuses the promised land until one condition is met: he wants the Lord to go with them. Moses brazenly recognizes how the Israelites need the presence of the LORD. Moses refuses earthly blessings, covenantal rewards, providence and provision and instead demands the presence of the LORD.

The unabashedly laconic nature of Moses’ reaction begs some probing questions. Do we love the presence of the LORD like Moses did? Do we recognize the reality of God’s presence in our lives (Joshua 1:5; Hebrews 13:5)? Do we allow the nearness of the Holy Spirit to make us distinct (John 13:35)?

Father, I recognize the reality of your presence. Holy Spirit, tenderize my heart with your nearness. Please open my eyes to see and allow my spirit to feel the reality of your proximity. I want to know more of the love that you have for me, and I thank you that your love motivates, empowers, and strengthens the love that I have for others.

Andrew Butler

The Pursuit- Part 1

I want to start by saying a huge HELLO to all of you out there that will follow this blog over the coming weeks and months. There will be several student leaders from the Office of Student Leadership that will take turns posting each week and our hope is that we can shed a little light into what we do on a daily basis and show you that we struggle like every other student on this campus does. We all have different personalities in our writing so hopefully we’ll keep things interesting as the semester progresses. We love feedback so if you have any ideas let us know!!

With that being said, I feel like I should introduce myself, as we will be spending quite some time together this semester. My name is Leslie Wood and I am from Nashville, Tennessee. I’m a senior here at Liberty, graduating in May with a Biblical Studies degree. I plan on using my degree by going into Youth Ministry (specifically teen girl discipleship) when I finish at Liberty. I absolutely love hanging with teenagers because they are the next generation that will shape and change the world, and also because they constantly remind me that I’m not cool! They keep me grounded for sure J

In my free time I absolutely love to cook, listen to Country music, play board games, drink SWEET tea, and root on the Tennessee Titans and Vols. Now, before you hate on me for being southern please know that though I’m proud to be from the south, I do not have a southern accent.  Bummer I know….but I do say “ya’ll.”

I find that a lot of my students think that I live some high and lofty life because I’m an RA but I will assure you that that is far from the truth! I struggle with writing papers and formatting them correctly, waking up and going any class before 10:50, making time to go to the gym, keeping in touch with friends back home, and making my bed! In fact, before I came to LU my motto was, “life is too short to make your bed!” Making the bed is one of my least favorite things to do and my mom wasn’t hardcore, forcing me to do it as I was growing up. Though the desire is still not there, it does get done since we have cleanliness checks on MWF. This is one of the many quirks I have!

This week marks my last first week of undergraduate classes. I’m so stinking excited to graduate in May but it’s also a little overwhelming to think that I’m supposed to know what I’m doing with my life in a few short months. God has directed my steps up till now and I know He’s going to continue to lead. Some of you may be graduating in May as well (congrats!) and have absolutely no idea what is next in your life. That’s definitely an overwhelming place to be in but I’d encourage you to continue seeking God and the holiness He has called you to live in on a daily basis. When everything else is uncertain, you can know that He cares most about who you are becoming, not what you are doing. Continue striving for His holiness!

I don’t know about you but I’m having such a hard time getting back in the mindset of schoolwork. Maybe for me it’s senioritis but I have a feeling I’m not the only person out there felling this way. I had a great Christmas at home with my family and I was ready to come back and see all my LU peeps but I wasn’t exactly ready to start classes this soon. This morning I found myself as a senior still wandering around the halls of North and Demoss looking for my classes since we all know the room numbering system doesn’t make much sense. I also got on the wrong bus since all the routes were changed over break. Starting the first day of classes running late probably wasn’t a promising sign for the rest of the semester.  Oh well, I guess when you start low there is always room for improvement!

As everyone arrives back at LU there are several things that remind me I’m back and the semester has started. You know you are back at LU when blackboard freezes up the first day of classes causing no one to actually have their syllabus printed by class time, you stand in the freezing rain waiting to get into the rot to reunite with your friends, the bookstore is already out of the book you have an assignment in this week, and you feel like everywhere you look there is a typical “LU couple” cozying up next to each other because they missed each other SO MUCH over break!! Ya’ll know what I’m talking about.  I’ve personally experienced each of these this week and remember that some things from semester to semester never change at LU!

I’ll leave you this week with 2 more random facts about myself. First, I absolutely love to drink water! It’s one of my many quirks – I know it’s kinda weird but I feel like it’s a huge part of my life and ya’ll should know that! Second, I absolutely love to read! I set ridiculous goals over breaks for how many books I will read because I’m very competitive. My goal was to read 5 books over my break and I ended up reading 6…and began my 7^th on the way back to LU.

 With that being said, I want this blog to be interactive so I want to know what you read over break! Were there any great books that you found over break? If not, what is the one book that you would recommend everyone reading?

My recommendations are:

  Every girl needs to read - “Set-Apart Femininity” by Leslie Ludy

                                            “Emotional Purity” by Heather Paulsen

              For anyone to read – “The Discipline of Grace” by Jerry Bridges

Alrighty, that’s all I’ve got this week folks! Happy first week of classes!!! Get ready for an amazing semester!