100 Posts (part I)

In July of 2009 the junior high pastor at my church, Pen Cook, recommended starting a blog about my college life. “It’s a good way to keep your parents up to date,” he said. I wrote my first post on July 23rd. Now, almost two and a half years later I have arrived at my 100th post. In that time I have had over 43 hundred views to this blog (it doesn’t count my visits). I started a topical blog this past January to give me more blogging experience.

In life, I am nearing the end of my semester as a junior and closing in on my halfway point as an undergraduate at Biola. That means this blog may be reaching its midlife. I’ve lived in Emerson these past three years (one year on MOLE and two on GUS). I’m double majoring in Bible and Business, which takes fives year, in order to become a youth pastor. I’m also in Torrey. A lot has changed over these past few years, friends, circumstances, myself, yet God has been constant through it all. I started writing this post around Thanksgiving, so I want to reflect about 100 things I’m thankful for through this Biola Biography. It’s going to be long, and that’s why it’s taken me so long to write this.

1. God

This is obvious, and is really a given, but I do need to acknowledge Him. If it wasn’t for God I would not have the things I am thankful for, or have the ability to be thankful for them. Really, I wouldn’t exist without God, and neither would anything, but that’s another matter. God is the one who has provided all the blessings that are listed below, plus an infinite more. Our God is good.

2. My Family

My parents, both of my sisters, my brother in law, my nieces, and my grandma. My family has been so supportive of me, and even more so when I chose Biola. My parents both came to Biola and got engaged on their graduation day in 1979. Them 30 years later I graduated high school in the class of ’09 and came to Biola as a freshman. They come down all the time are deeply invested in my education.

My sister Amanda would come down as much as she could, and how she’s a

graduate student in the Crowell School of Business. She even has some of the same professors as me (today one of my professors found out we were related. We ended up doing the same homework assignment, which has never happened before). We’re going to be eating Thanksgiving dinner together this year with the people she lives with, which happen to be my dad’s old RD! Since she’s been down here, we’ve been able to go to Disneyland a few times with our cousin Ashley. A few weekends ago both Ashley and David, her brother, came out to visit us and the four of us hung out for a little bit. My parents have come down a lot to visit both of us and will be here next weekend for the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at Biola!  It’s one of my favorite events of the year. So many people, including alumni, students, and faculty, come together to celebrate the ‘reason for the season’ (Jesus, duh).

My other sister and her family live in Oregon, where she went to school. Both her and Amanda went to George Fox University in Newburg Oregon. She and Andrew got married five or six years ago. They support me however they can. We’re trying to influence my nieces to come to Biola when they grow up (only 16 years away). They’re coming down next October to take my nieces to Disneyland! If you read my blog (ever) you know that I LOVE Disneyland and that I go there all the time. I am so excited to bring them to Disneyland, because Disneyland with kids is completely different. I’ve been with people on their first visits, and it’s magical. A child’s first visit would be a great blessing from the Lord.

My Grandma has prayed for me so much, and I know it has been a blessing. She lives in Redmond so when I’m home I get to see her all the time. It’s gret to have a grandma close by to where you live. When I lived at home she used to invite my sister and I over for dinner when our parents were gone. We would always have a good time and I would somehow end up fixing something on her computer, DVD player, or whatever. But I do it because I love my grandma and I enjoy helping her in any way that I can.

3. Biola

Biola is an amazing university. I remember growing up hearing about the Bible classes and the chocolate milk in the caf (ironically, in Torrey I don’t have Bible classes and there was no chocolate milk when I first got here). After growing up hearing all these stories I felt drawn to Biola. I really wanted to stay on the west coast, and California had the best schools. SPU is too close to home (and I haven’t heard the greatest things about their theology); my sisters went to George Fox and there’s NOTHING around there (even though it is a good school); CBU was nice, but it didn’t feel like home. When I came to Biola I knew I was where I belonged. Even now when I really think about how God has brought me to this great place that he has established, I am overwhelmed. The community is deep; it’s big enough to feel like a university and that there are new people to meet; it’s small enough so that you can know someone every few steps as you walk to class.

Biola has great events from the Christmas Tree Lighting, Nation ball, and GYRADS, to Torrey Conference and Missions Conference.  As you can see, I have multiple posts on each of these events, so take a look back and see why I’m thankful. I’m so thankful for Biola, but I’m not going to go into detail here because those things are on my list.

4. MOLE

During my freshman year I lived on MOLE, Men Of Lower Even. It’s the second smallest floor at Biola, and it’s where I learned how to be a college student. During my first semester my friend Fernando would come in all the time and talk to me and my roommate Sam (who I’ll talk about later). I met people like Matt and Nolan on that floor and a few upper class men like Jared, Sunshine, Richard, and Andy. It was a good floor and they have had some good RA’s. My freshmen year we had Jason, a junior Torrey student. Last year they had Ben L, Mat’s older brother. This year they have Sam, my roommate freshman year. It’s a good floor and I’m glad I’m in the same dorm as them.

5. GUS

Over the past two years I have had the privilege to live with many godly men on GUS, the Gentlemen Up Stairs.  Located right above MOLE, it is a very well known floor on campus. It also produces a lot of good leaders. Last year all the male coordinators for missions conference were from GUS. Three of the four male SOS crew leaders were from GUS (the fourth kinda lived here). A large portion of the male population of SOS is from GUS. The Emerson RA’s for the past two years have been from GUS. Last year’s and this year’s SOS directors have been from GUS. We have people working in SMU, leading mission trips, and working in Honduras Water Project here on GUS. If you don’t get it, God has blessed us with a lot of leaders on our floor. He has also blessed us with great community. During my freshman year GUS somewhat adopted me. The next year I was only able to move onto the floor because one of the guys, Luke, needed a roommate. The floor was so full because almost everyone returned. I think that out of the 30 spots on the floor, only 3 people were new to the floor. That is an amazing return rate! Everyone was friends. We went to meals together, people did inter-murals together, and we lived life together. As you can see in our picture, we had a great time.

This year many of the guys moved off campus into a house together, but GUS’s legacy still lives on. Many of the new freshmen say they want to live on GUS as long as possible. And again, we have good community. I have spent some late nights talking with the guys, gone to Bible studies with them, and spent time in Chapel with them. What’s unique about this year is the number of freshmen and particularly their year. Now that I’m a junior I am an upper class man and people look up to me. I am able to lookout for people as they are transitioning into Biola and college life. This year’s freshmen hold a somewhat special place in my heart. More than four years ago I started working with they junior high choir at my church. The students I grew closest to were in this class of 2011, students like Kyle and Trevor. The age difference creates a special relationship dynamic that has an older-brother feel to it on my end, and I like it. But again, back in high school these were the first junior high students I worked with and eventually led me to my calling of being a youth pastor. This class plays a significant role in my story, and so does the class of 2012, but they aren’t here yet.

God has blessed me so much with all the relationships and memories I have on GUS. We may all be flawed, and we may all have our differences, but in the end, we’re family.

6. My roommates

My freshman year Sam was my roommate. Sam is a great guy, and I’m so glad we were roommates. We learned a lot that first year of college. We didn’t always get along, but it was a good learning experience, and we really developed a good friendship. Now we’re really good friends and I enjoy getting to talk to him whenever I can. The picture on the right is of us just this best year at Mount Emerson. We were being a little crazy, but that’s what good friends do. Sam is now the RA of MOLE, the floor he’s lived on ever since we came to Biola. Currently, he’s a film major here at Biola.

Sam is also the creator and director of a new web series called Five Stories Up where they take artists five stories up to perform on top of the new parking structure.

Check them out on Facebook here!

Check them out on youtube here!

Sam is also one of my regular readers. So here’s a shout out to you Sam! Hope you’re having a happy Thanksgiving/break!

My current roommate is Luke. Like I said, Luke was my ticket into GUS. Before we were roommates we really didn’t know each other. I had met him at Splash our freshman year, but didn’t talk to him much that year, if at all. Now we’re celebrating two years as roommates. Luke is pretty relaxed, and can fall asleep just about anywhere. He’s super chill and a great guy. Luke is really busy because he’s in ROTC, swim, and he’s an engineer major, which means he’s leaving Biola next year. You see, Biola doesn’t really have a full fledged engineering major. Instead, they spend 3 years at Biola working on lower level classes, gen ed, and Bible, they they go to USC to finish their last two years in engineering. They still get a Biola diploma though.

7. My RA’s

Over my three years here at Biola I have had three RA’s (duh), Jason, Taylor, and Austyn.

Jason was my first RA. He was a junior in Torrey at the time (although in a different house than me). He, like all my RA’s, was a good RA. We watched Band of Brothers that year, like all the floors did, but I don’t think we ever finished. I think one of my favorite memories with him was our floor’s trip to downtown LA. Even now when I go down there I remember the different facts that he told us about the different places we went.

My sophomore year RA was Taylor. Taylor was Derek’s roommate (who I’ll talk about later). Taylor was a great RA. He put together great events are cared for everyone on our floor.  One thing he did to care for us was putting together a new chapel series called A Call to Manhood. He and the other RA’s that year called upon the male leadership above us to put on exclusively male chapels. The chapels take place in Business 109 and are always packed. Many of us have gained great wisdom at these chapels from speakers like Matt Hooper, Erik Thoennes, David Niestrom, and many more.

The RA’s of Emerson also put on an event called “Chivalry’s not Dead” where all of Emerson came together to show the school that there are still chivalrous men in the world. Emerson was the head quarters for the operation. We sent out men to serve and take plates in the caf, others to great people as the entered and exited different buildings on campus, while others helped with random tasks around school. It was a huge success and got the attention of the Chimes (Emerson has a tendency to do that).

Austyn is my RA this year. This is the first year that my RA has been the same age as me, but that doesn’t seem to make a difference. I still respect his authority over me just as I did Jason and Taylor. Austyn may be my last RA, since I am thinking about movie off campus next year.

Austyn and I knew each other last year, but not very well. It wasn’t until inter term that we became friends (though he’ll say it was when we slept in the back of my car during Mount Emerson when it was freezing outside). During inter term we spontaneously drove out to his house. It was Ben, Mt, Lexi, and Nicole in one car, and Austyn and I in the other. The drive to San Diego is about an hour and a half, so Austyn and I got some good bonding time. I feel like that was the beginning of our being good friends.

Now he’s the RA and he’s doing a good job. We have floor Bible study, we take out trash for TWO floors in Alpha, we have weekly floor dinners, we’ve already gone on a floor retreat, and we have a great community on our floor. Austyn has done a really good job connecting with both the upper class men who have been on GUS for years, and the freshmen/ new GUSites who are just finding their roots.

8. Emerson

Not only am I thankful for the floors I’ve lived on, the people I’ve lived with, and the people who have watched over me, but I’m also thankful for my dorm in general. Emerson is an amazing place to live. It is the oldest dorm on campus, and the smallest, but it has character and community. Each floor is completely different, both socially and physically. THEO has a tub in their bathroom and you have to go through a creepy wooden door to get to the toilets. ELO has pink stalls that are really small. MOLE has the handicapped restroom with green stalls. GUS has a normal bathroom with the same green stalls as MOLE, but it’s way less cramp.  The water pressure in our showers is the best of all the floors.

The communities on each floor are also different. I can’t really define any but GUS, so I won’t try, but GUS does have an outgoing personality. We make movies, we have random dance parties, we watch movies, we do SOS, we decorate our rooms with movies (did I mention we have 4 film majors on our floor?), etc. Our RA’s are always great and I’ve had two amazing RD’s. My first two years I had Kyle W, and this year we have Kevin. Oh, one more thing about GUS. The RD lives right under our stairwell so we always have to walk up the stairs quietly. It’s second nature to me now, but to guests…

9. SOS

This is super broad, but I’ll specify it. SOS, Student Orientation Services, is a great program. Each year it welcomes in all the incoming students, from transfers to freshmen, Torrey student to international, fall students and spring students, to Biola. The staff that welcomes in the fall class is selected in February (the directors welcome in the spring students). The leaders train for months as they learn about how to welcome new students into Biola. If you’ve read my blog, you probably have a good idea of what SOS is and what it means to me. The next few things will be from SOS.

10. My SOS Leader

My SOS leader was none other than Derek. I actually met Derek when he was training to be my SOS leader, but he had no idea that I was his student. I was visiting my friend who was also training for SOS when I met Derek. My friend wanted to show Greg that I was at Biola, so she took a picture of Derek and me and sent it to him. We realized he was my leader a few years later. I asked my friend if it was still on her phone, but she had gotten rid of it. We asked Greg and he said his was in a time capsule till 2018 or something. Hopefully we’ll see that picture in the future.

Derek was very intentional with everyone of us. He answered my emails during the summer when I was coming to Biola. I first met him in student services, and I’ll admit, I was a little intimidated. Little did I know how good of a friendship would start that day. Now, almost 3 years later, he is one of my best friends. I have served with him in SOS two years, once with him as a crew leader and once with him as director. He lived on GUS my freshman and sophomore year and now regularly visits us, so it’s sorta like he’s still here.

Last inter term he got Mat and I hooked on Fringe, which is an amazing show by none other than J.J. Abrams. We watched 2 seasons in a matter of weeks until we caught up with the show. As soon as we did we started watching them with Matt and Claudia, Taylor, Derek, and Ben. I loved our Fringe Binges.

Derek is a great leader and it will be sad to see him graduate and leave next semester. He means a lot to me and I am so thankful to be his friend.

11. SOS Staff 2010

After having a great SOS leader and great SOS experience, I thought about joining SOS. With the prompting of friends and prayer, I applied and got in! I knew some people going in, like Mat, Derek, Trevor, Justin, Gio, and Greg, but there were a lot of people I didn’t know. Everyone was quiet at first, but as our staff grew together we got louder and crazier. I bonded with everyone through Mock Rock, Skit practice, weekly meetings, retreats, and so forth. I couldn’t even begin to talk about how much I love all of these people. When you’re in SOS, your not just coworkers, you’re family.

12. My Crew leader

My crew leader that year was Anna. She calls herself our “mom”, so every time I see her I call her mama. Anna is crazy and I love her so much. She was a good crew leader because she cared for all of us so much and she still keeps in contact. She helped out with SOS this past year and she was in Oregon when I went down there this summer. That’s what makes her a good crew leader; she continues to be in the lives of her crew. I am so thankful for all the crazy memories I have with her and all the SOS people.

13.My Crew (The Ashleys)

Each year the crew groups have a different theme. That year it was cliques. We had to come up with a crew name in our first session, so people were a little intimidated and couldn’t think of anything. I said we should think of cliques in Recess, the tv show, and mentioned the Ashleys as an example. Well, apparently the girls liked it a lot and it stuck. At first some of us were like “what? really?” but it grew on us, and I began to love it. We all called each other “Ashley R” or “Ashley A” like they do in the show.

One of my favorite memories was during Mock Rock practice. Each group had to dress up like their crew name. It was difficult for the girls because there was another group called “The Plastics” (Mean Girls) which are all pink and basically the grown up versions of the Ashleys. Our girls had to get creative to look like 4th grade versions of them. It was even more difficult for us guys because we weren’t going to dress up as girls. I had the idea that we should dress up as tires like the Ashleys’ clubhouse, but in the end we wore cardigans and were kinda preppy. It was a fun night because everyone was in the character of their crew groups, and some people were pretty crazy. Add all that on top of 4-5 hours of practicing dance moves  until 2am and you’ve got chaos, but that’s how we role.

14. My prayer partner 2010

My prayer partner that year was Jacob. We didn’t really bond very much during SOS, but it gave us a place to get to know each other. It was during inter term this year where we really became friends. We both took astronomy with a couple other guys, and that class was tough. One day we had to go on a field trip and we had to drive ourselves. I think the round trip was somewhere around 200 miles. Jacob and I rode in my car together, so we had some good bonding time, even though SOS was over.

15. SOS Crew Leaders + Directors 2011

This year I had the privilege to serve with six other amazing crew leaders under two incredible directors. Derek and Sarah, our directors, were so intentional with each of us. They had spent endless hours in prayer while considering who to hire and continued to pray for us as we led our crew groups and met our students. Derek was a great male role model and leader for the entire staff. He encouraged us to be men of God and to treat the women and each other with respect. Sarah was the mom of SOS because she always took care of everyone, yet she was realistic at the same time. She would be honest about how staying up late for practice wasn’t her favorite thing while supporting us while we did. She loved seeing her staff be happy, and still does. These two leader made this year’s staff what it was.

The crew leaders are some of the wisest and most caring people I know. I’ve grown up with Greg, and he is full of wisdom, humility, and good humor. Ryan is hilarious and super intentional with everyone. Mat is passionate and loves including everyone. Lexi is gracious and cares deeply for each of her students and everyone she meets. Ann is so cool that she doesn’t need to let you know that she is, and she’s super funny. Hillary is the sweetest and one of the most sincere people I know.

This crew blessed me so much, with laughter, friendship, encouragement, and so much more. We’ve had so many good memories, from blizzards in SoCal, endless skype session with Ryan, Rumpus rooms, and hours of Modern Family, to weekly meetings, guy time, Oregon trips, and so much more.

16. My Crew (TMNT!)

Since I was a crew leader, I got to lead an SOS crew, and it was such a blessing. I had 9 leaders under me, 8 of which were new to SOS. I remember getting their names during the crew retreat and trying to match names to faces. Unfortunately almost all of them had changed since their ID pictures, so when I first met them I thought “Who is that?”. On opening day the crew leaders hid while the crew members found their group. As soon as they got together they got a clue about where I was, but they had never met me before. My hint had something to do with dead bodies because I was in Bardwell. I remember standing at the top of the stairs thinking about meeting them. I was so excited, and they came fast. I was blown away. I love them all so much. We went back to Mayers auditorium and came up with our crew name. This year’s theme was “90′s TV shows”. We threw a few out there and the winner was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT for short).

I am so proud of each of these leaders. Micah (baby panda) is kind and thoughtful. Kendall is crazy and driven. Lexi is sweet and musically gifted. Kate is musically gifted as well and intentional. Onalee is witty and a great friend. Julia is loyal and fun. Julie is smart and loves Disney (like me). Jessi is crazy, creative, and an artist. Lydia, my returner, is wise, caring, and supportive. I love each one of these people dearly and I was so blessed to be their crew leader this year.

17. My prayer partner (Kendall)

This year my prayer partner was in my crew! Kendall is a crazy kid, and I love him so much. On the first day of training we found out who our prayer partners were. I remember sitting next to Kendall joking about if we were prayer partners. A few minutes later they called out our names and we were so excited.

Over the past year we’ve had laughs, and a lot of them from picking on each other. I’ll always be overly crazy and he’ll sometimes get too into something. For example, Kendall loves facebook groups, and he’s good at making them successful. He made one for the SOS staff this year… then he made another one… then he made one for the incoming class (which we normally do anyways). We picked on him so much for his facebook skills, but really it helped SOS out a lot.

I have seen Kendall grow so much this year. He has always had a lot of enthusiasm and it’s been great to see him learn how to focus it. He learned how to care for students and other people through SOS. He was involved in almost everything SOS did, and he often served others. I remember seeing him during SOS week and how much he loved his students. I am so proud of my prayer partner and crew!

18. SOS staff 2011

Oh. My. Goodness. I cannot begin to start with how much I love this staff. I am so proud of each one of them. I’ve already talked about my crew, the crew leaders, and the directors. Now take all those things that I said about them and apply it to 70 people. This staff had so many deep conversations. Every meal someone was having a one on one, and usually more than one group. The staff was great about getting things done quickly and loving each other. We bonded really well this year. As a crew leader I got a higher view of the staff, so I could see them grow and I am so proud of them. SOS staff 2011, #getatme

19. Matt, Claudia, and Marcy

Matt and Claudia are some of the most amazing people I have ever met. If you’ve read my blog, you know how thankful I am for them. Claudia gives up so much of herself to serve us as SOS leaders, as students, but most importantly as people. Matt fully supports her in this ministry and helps out, even though he has another job. This year I got to go over to their place all the time to watch Fringe, eat food, and just hang out. Each year Claudia throws a Christmas party for everyone who has been in SOS. It’s one of my favorite parties and it’s so much fun. I can’t wait to go to it this year.

Marcy is new to SOS and she’s here to assist Claudia. She came in the summer and has been a huge blessing to SOS. She has taken care of endless spreadsheets, making sure each student has an SOS leader. It’s a lot of work to manage 1,400 new students, but she does. Marcy is so kind and we are thankful to have her here on our staff.

These three people work so hard to welcome in new students and every student currently at Biola has in some way been affected by their ministry.

20. This year’s directors, Greg and Lexi

This year’s directors are Greg and Lexi! I had the privilege of working as a crew leader with them this past year, and now they’re directors! Just a few months ago we were applying for director (yes I applied). The application process was extensive and I know a lot of prayer went into it. I remember working on resumes with Greg and talking to Lexi about different things. I remember opening my mailbox and reading that letter that day that said someone else had gotten director. I admit, I was bummed that I didn’t get it, but I am so thankful that Lexi and Greg did. Everyone that applied was highly qualified, and God has planned something else for us. Greg and Lexi are going to do a great job this year and I am so excited to see their staff. I’m so excited that I’ve applied for their staff! I know that either way, if they hire me or not, that they are going to have an incredible staff underneath them because they deeply know that this staff is not their own, but a gift given to them by God. I would love to talk more about them and how excited I am for them, but I don’t want it to seem like I’m buttering them up, so I won’t.

21. My SOS students

For the past two years I’ve been blessed to have my own SOS groups. My first year on SOS I had freshmen. It was filled with people like Olivia (Liv), Caleb, Riley, Brianna, Lindsey, and more. It was great getting to know them and seeing so many of them still at Biola.

This year I led a transfer group which was a different experience, but very rewarding. I learned how to let people have their space while still ministering to them.

I really do love all my SOS students, and I makes me happy to see them around campus.

22. Torrey

The Torrey Honors Institute has given me an experience like no other. When I first came to Biola, I came early for Torrientation, a special orientation for Torrey students. Throughout the years I have learned how to discuss in a group, gained wisdom from my professors, and been part of a community deeply endowed with traditions. I would no know as much about traditions of any kind nor value them as much if I was not in Torrey.

23. My mentor

I am so blessed to have Mrs. Dr. Thoennes as my mentor. She is like a mom on campus. She is deeply invested in the emotional and spiritual health of her students as well as their academic success. She is married to Dr. Erik Thoennes, one of the most popular professors on campus.

24. My Torrey group

Before I met anyone on my floor, before I met my SOS leader, before I even met my roommate, there was Ignatius. We have literally spent hundreds of hours together in classes, and even more outside. We have gone through thousands of years of literature, picking the minds of some of the greatest thinkers in the West.

Through these past two and a half years we’ve had our hardships. From tornadoes, family members getting in accidents, members of our own group going to the hospital, and other numerous family trials. Yet we have been here for one another the entire time. I have been supported so much by this group of people, spiritually, emotionally, physically, and intellectually.

I remember first meeting everyone and forgetting each other’s names or getting people mixed up (sorry Liz and Monica, or is it Monica and Liz?). I remember struggling through our first session with Dr. Campbell on The Illiad. I remember countless nights reading in the SUB or writing papers till the wee hours of the morning. I have so many memories with all these amazing individuals and I am so blessed to have them all in my life. Although our group has changed a lot over the years, with people switching out because of scheduling conflicts and others leaving Torrey or even Biola, we have remained one group. We are Ignatius, full of diversity in race, ideas, and personalities. This is my Torrey group.

25. Jeff the Jeep

I have had my jeep since before I was 16. I have so many memories driving it back in high school with people like Matt, Paul, Cassie, Joel, Trenton, and so many others. Now it’s made the trip up and down from Seattle multiple times.

My Jeep’s a Jeep Grand Cherokee 1994, so it’s getting pretty old, but it’s in good shape. I still drive it everywhere, and now even more so with friends. I’ve made countless Walmart, Target, CVS, and Del Taco Runs (DTR’s). I’ve had numerous deep conversations with people like Devon, Gio, Mat, and others. My Jeep is a sort of ’sacred space’ because of all the conversations with people and with God that I have had in it.

This year I realized I needed to give it a name. Everybody else had names for their cars, so why not mine? I wanted something simple that related to Jeep. It had to be a boy’s name because I feel like my Jeep’s a boy. That’s where Jeff came in. I think it fits.

26. The Crowell School of Business

Biola’s Crowell School of Business is an incredible institution. They are always so accommodating and professional.  They understand that students are busy and make mistakes, and they own up when they make mistakes themselves. I remember I didn’t get an email about the application process to get into the official business major. I missed the deadline and would have paid a fine to get in. That would be normal at any other university, but here at Biola they looked it up, realized their was a mistake in the system, and waved my fee. The school of business is also professional. I know a few people who didn’t pass their classes and the business department will not let them into the school until they do so.

27. Talbot/ the Bible Department

Talbot School of Theology really supports the Bible undergraduate Bible program at Biola. Talbot is a fundamental part of Biola and helps root us in our Biblical mission. We recently built a new building, Talbot Tower East, and are planning the next larger addition, Talbot Tower West. I have Greek in the new Talbot building next semester and I am so excited. I haven’t taken very many Bible classes yet, because all my Bible classes are though Torrey, but I’ve taken 3 semesters of Greek and Bible Research Seminar. I’m excited to take my other Bible major classes over the next few years.

28. Torrey Conference

Every year in the fall classes are canceled for 3 days are we focus on a topic and go to session after session learning about it. The three I’ve been through were Suffering (’09), Peacemakers (’10), and Sabbathing (’11). During Sabbath Soul some of friends and I applied the idea of activity as Sabbathing and went to Disneyland in the middle of the day for a few hours. That was one of my favorite Disneyland trips I’ve been on.

29. Missions Conference (and all I’ve done with them)

Missions Conference is the Spring equivalent to Torrey Conference, but it’s a lot bigger. SMU (Student Missionary Union) puts it on every year and the concept is the same as Torrey Conference, 3 days of no classes and tons of sessions. Missions Conference has many additional things such as Global Awareness which has little skits that simulate living conditions in different countries, endless seminars with missionaries (usually about 100 a conference), a Missionary Organization Tent, nightly bonfires, prayer rooms, and endless decorations.

During my first year at Biola I was on the logistics staff. The set up is pretty similar to SOS in that there are two directors, a number of coordinators, and staff under them. The theme my first year was “Let There Be Light”. It was a really good year and I was able to do SOS during it without any conflict. Last year I was a coordinator and an SOS crew leader, which was a little more difficult. The theme was “Set Us Ablaze”, and it was amazing. We had the largest Conference ever, doubling our Global Awareness rooms and setting a new record for most Missionary Organizations. I had two great directors, an amazing coordinator (Justine), great coordinator friends, and a great staff. Missions Conference changes lives every year. I’ve been able to work with this years Logistics coordinators a little bit (it helps that one was on my staff and the other was already my friend). It’s going to be a great third year, I know it, even though I don’t know the theme yet. This section is far too small for how thankful I am for Missions Conference.

30. My Leadership team for Missions Conference 2011

In October 2010 I got hired as a Missions Conference Coordinator. That launched a 6 month experience full of planning, preparations, frustration, laughs, tears, anger, meetings, and every range of emotion possible. I had an amazing team of leaders to work with including my cocoordinator Justine. We had a lot on our plates planning the largest Missions Conference ever, as I said before. We had a great staff that pushed through even in the tough times to make sure things worked out. I am so glad that I had all of them (even if it was stressful at the time). The other coordinators were really helpful and good too. All three males were from my floor (Justin, Gio, and myself). My friend Devon was also on staff.

We had tons of crazy adventures, from driving up to Big Bear (twice), to running around LA for a picture/video scavenger hunt (which was bomb). And who can forget our Christmas party?! I dressed up as an old man for some reason (I think they wanted us to dress Christmasy or like an old person) and it was great. I know the staff this year is and will do a great job, but I will always love the MC staff of 2011.

31. Disney Land and California Adventure

I know this may sound shallow or materialistic, but I really am thankful for having my Disneyland passes and all the trips I’ve made. I think I’ve been there around 85 times in my life, 65 or so times since I’ve been at Biola. That’s a lot of Disneyland. Many people think it would get old and boring. What could you possibly do at Disneyland and not get sick of it? Well, Disneyland itself is fun, with something new being built all the time, but it’s really all about the people. I have so many good friends that make Disneyland fun. People that go often know how to value their visits and value people. I went with Nancy one time and she showed me the art gallery of the lady who designed It’s a Small World and I gained a better appreciation for art. I went with Julie and discovered the adventure park in California Adventure and the canoes in Disneyland. Derek always teaches me how to interact with crowds. I went with my parents a few weeks ago and we saw a special candlelight service on main street that only happens 2 nights a year. Even when I don’t learn something new and exciting, Disney is one of my Sacred Spaces. This year’s chapel theme at Biola is Sacred Spaces and we’ve learned that this means places and times we meet with God. I meet with God at Disneyland through the fellowship I have with my friends. The drive over and the drive back are quick but good for conversation (and frequently I drive my jeep). Waiting in lines, having fun, experiencing the blessing of having a fun place to go whenever we want, these are blessings from God. Disneyland is a special place, and I do love going there.

32. Chapel

Biola requires undergraduates to attend 30 chapels a semester, and it is a blessing. There are so many opportunities to go to chapel and tons of different styles. From worship based Singspo, and the regular MWF chapel, to Afterdark and Fives, and those are only scratching the surface. These chapels brings great insight to us as students and believers. My roommate’s favorite chapel is the Christmas music chapel where the observatory of music comes out and plays great music for an hour. The chapel program is pretty well developed and is always working on ways to improve.

33. Biola Ambasidors

I have a lot of friends that are Biola ambassadors, students that represent Biola to prospective students. I have never been one, but I am thankful for them. When I came on Biola Bound as a junior they played a large role in making me feel at home, which was a huge deciding factor for me. I walked out of another university almost in tears because it didn’t feel like home. Biola is my home and the ambassadors helped welcome me in. I also like them because I’ve been friends with the head leaders for the past two years (Ben and Taylor).

34. DBC

DBC, Dr. Barry Corey, is the president at Biola University. He’s been here about 4 and 1/2 years, and has continued to establish the Biola Legacy. I can’t really explain DBC to you, you kind of have to know him, and he lets his students do just that. Each year he randomly selects 9 freshmen to mentor throughout the year and takes them camping (one of them is on my floor). Occasionally he’ll post something on Facebook about playing catch on the lawn and students show up within a few minutes (one of my friends had me watch his stuff while he “went somewhere” and I later found out it was to play with DBC). He makes funny jokes and is a great speaker and actually makes things happen. We are so thankful at Biola to have him.

35. Biola’s Legacy

Biola has a long legacy, spanning over 100 years and reaching to nearly every nation on earth. We started out in downtown LA next to the library. We moved to La Mirada 1959 and eventually grew into a University with schools in Business, Theology, Psychology, Education, Intercultural Studies, and others. Above all, Biola has been faithful to it’s mission.

“For the teaching of the truths for which the Institute stands, its doors are to be open every day of the year, and all people, without reference to race, color or class will ever be welcome to its privileges.”

And through the years, God has been faithful to Biola. He has blessed us financially, spiritually, physically, emotionally, and in every way possible. Biola is full of stories about how students have miraculously received the money they need for tuition, how buildings have been built through prayer, how healing has happened on spiritual, emotional, and physical levels, and so much more. I am truly thankful to go to such a university as this, this sacred space.

To read more about Biola’s legacy, check out the legacy page on Biola’s website.

36. The Library

Yes, I am a Torrey student and I love reading. Biola’s Library is full of books and different levels to read. We have study rooms for groups of people, individual work cubicals, tables, couches and comfortable chairs, a food court, a balcony, a dead quiet room, and endless places to hide. Down stairs there are moving bookshelves that always make for an adventure. And, if you really love Biola history, you can check out the heritage room on the main floor, which is like a Biola museum. Besides these cool things in the library, there ARE books, and plenty of them. I’ve even found some by R.A. Torrey! If Biola doesn’t have a book, you can get it free through the Link+ program or Interlibrary loans. The people there are so helpful and it’s a great environment to study in.

37. SMU

The Student Missionary Union at Biola is one of the largest student run missionary organizations out there. Not only do they put on Missions Conference, but they also send out missions teams around the world every summer and interterm. Several of my friends have gone on these and had their lives changed. They also host their own chapel once a week. SMU does a ton of stuff and is very active in the Biola Community.

38. AS

Associated Students is our student government. They put on things like Punkin’ Pie (essentially a high end talent show), Mock Rock (a lip sync choreography competition), special guest lectures, and various other events. I know the president and a bunch of other people who run AS and they are great people. I am so proud of them all.

39. Cheese Club

That’s right, it made it on the list (When I’m being as broad as I am, there’s plenty of room). Cheese Club is hosted every Friday in Stewart lobby at 2pm. A typical meeting starts with a poem about cheese and then moves on to the introduction of the cheeses. Typically there are about 12 cheeses and each one is introduced by one of the heads of cheese club. They talk about which dairy it comes from, the texture, awards the cheese has won, and any other interesting fact we might want to know. Then the tasting begins. You have to fight your way to each cheese as ti’s pretty crowded. The whole meeting lasts about 30 minutes and it’s open to anyone. There’s no obligation except to the 5 people who run it, including my friend David. It’s fun and a good way to start off the weekend. I’ve been going pretty regularly this year (unlike past years) usually with Evan and maybe another person or two.

40. Wifi

Yes, this seems like a basic, but think about it. We get wifi everywhere on campus (except Sutherland where it’s installed but turned off, and rolo). It’s so convenient to be able to go anywhere on campus and not have to worry about internet connection. There are connection cables in each of the classrooms for the laptops hooked up to the projectors. It’s nice to be able to go to a classroom at night, hook up a laptop, and watch movies when you can’t find anywhere else. Biola has some good technology, especially in the Film Department.

41. Hang out spots on campus

Biola has a lot of new hang out spots, including the new fireplace pavilion (aka The Flame).

The SUB is a great place to go when everything else is closed, or even if things are open. It’s open 24/7 and I’ve spent endless nights in there reading for Torrey (I think my record was 6 in the morning). One time I even slept in there. The SUB houses various organizations including SMU, AS, The Chimes, The Colegium, and a few conference rooms. It’s a great place to just sit and relax, especially if you’re doing homework. I miss my late nights with my Torrey friends in the SUB, even if I did get a little crazy.

Another popular hangout spot is the Flour Fountain of Faith. It’s located pretty centrally on campus and is really pretty on a sunny day, though be careful, it can get hot if you sit out in the sun. It has three fountains that spill down onto seven steps. I once read that that represented the trinity and God’s perfect number, but they also said there were twelve sides to the fountain for the tribes of Israel, and that isn’t true. I remember one day sitting down and working with Lydia on her psych project of people watching (it was more of me spouting out random and probably wrong observations about people and Lydia sifting through it and making good observations). It’s always busy there and you’ll usually find people you know there.

The newest addition to hangout spots on campus is the Fireplace Pavilion, or The Flame. Sitting across from the mailboxes, it hosts a fireplace, several space heaters, and tables. At first i was hesitant about its addition to the Biola campus, but it turned out to look pretty good. The real official name is “The Fireplace Pavilion” but people are trying to give it different names. People are calling it “the fire pit” which is already taken by the fire pit on McNally field. Others have been the “Alfaro Pavillion”, and “the fireplace”.

42.
Bon Appétit

Bon Appetit is the catering company at Biola. They run the Caf, Common Grounds (the coffee shop, also known as Commons), Eagles Nest (the small restaurant known as Eagles), the Talon (the newer drink and food place in the Business Building), and they will cater the new food place in the new Talbot building (when it’s done, whichever building has food). They are also in charge of catering any special events that happen on campus ranging in sizes from campus wide to small departments. They do everything and they give us some of the best campus food at any university. Yes, over time you get sick of caf food because it is mass prepared, but you can get sick of anything. What’s cool about the caf is that they do special stuff, like caf confetionals where you leave a video for the caf on what to change (and they do!). They have special meals during Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other various holidays. They do a good job and I’m thankful for all their hard work.

43. Professors

Biola is filled with high quality professors and faculty. The ratio is 17:1, which is pretty good. Many of my professors have their doctorates or are working towards them. Several, if not all, of my business professors have worked high profile jobs, ranging from the president of Coca Cola in LA to entrepreneurs that made $1 million companies increase to $30 million companies. My Torrey professors are top quality too, ranging from the trinitarian theologian Fred Sanders to medieval lore professors like Dr. Vincent. They all lead sessions with wisdom and respect. My Greek professors have been great too, helping us get through a really tough language.

44.Community

I know this one kind of pervades all of the other ones, but it’s an important thing to highlight (and I’m looking at the top 100 things to love at Biola to help me now). Community is key at Biola, with one another, with God, and with two combined. It’s what makes Biola Biola. Late night DTR’s (Del Taco Runs), talks on the way to Disneyland, hours of classes, projects, papers, reading, video games, dorm events. Everything is saturated in community.  Conversations may be light hearted or deeply emotional/ spiritual/ theological/ whatever. We even have a system of determining conversations by tier.

45. Rose of Sharon

The Rose of Sharon prayer chapel has been around since before my parents went here 30 years before. The chapel is small, but open 24/7 for students to come in and pray. It’s pretty traditional inside, but it’s a good place to get away to a quiet place. There’s a few pews, a Bible, and an entrance area. The building itself isn’t super impressive (except its age), but its long standing legacy is. The endless hours of prayer that have gone on in there have likely shaped our world today. I think everyone should take some time every once in awhile in there. It’s like sabbathing when you go in there.

46. Campus Safety

Campus Safety is really a good thing on campus. They’re pretty accommodating, especially if you need to turn your key in at 2am for Christmas break. I’ve had several friends on campo, like Nate, Ben, Val, and others. They keep our campus safe and secure. If you think something’s suspicious, then you can just give them a call and they’ll come on over.

47. Retreats

I’ve been on so many retreats since I’ve been at Biola: 2 floor retreats, 4 Missions Conference retreats, 1 Torrey camping trip, 3 dorm camping trips, 5 SOS retreats, and a few other weekend adventures scattered throughout the years. I’ve done work, had fun, run around, done whatever. There’s no end to how much stuff I’ve done on these trips. These retreats are where community is built. It was on my way to San Diego that I got to know Austyn. I had a long talk with Fin on the way to our dorm retreat last year. And every year the spring SOS retreat serves as an icebreaker for the semester.

48.  Mentoring

While not usually formal, I have had the opportunity to mentor some students over the past few years. This year Torrey started a new mentoring program where upperclassmen mentor underclassmen. I’ve been blessed with a good mentee, Max, and we meet pretty regularly each week. It’s really cool to see a freshman grow into college and help him on his way. He’s doing really good.

49. Parking Garage

This year we built a new parking structure on campus to help alleviate the parking problem on campus. It provides us with 800 new parking spots and view of the entire campus. From the top you can see almost all the major points on campus that you would hear about on tours. You can see Hope, the baseball field, McNally, the business building, the library, the new Talbot building, Sutherland, the bell tower, the fountain, the Jesus mural, the SUB, possibly the caf, Horton, the soccer field, and even the olive grove. The parking structure even sports a talking elevator. But one of the biggest things that has gotten the structure press has been the new web series Five Stories Up created and directed by Sam and produced by Chris. There’s been nine episodes this season, showcasing some of the best talent at Biola from Chris to the King’s Men. Each episode has hundreds of hits, including one at 1,500! Check them out. 

50. Church

Over my past 3 years I’ve gone to two churches, WACC and Grace EV Free. Both are good chruches. I worked in WACC’s youth ministry my first year and got to expand my knowledge of youth ministry and tactics. The kids there were crazy (as any kids are). California does have a different culture though and it took some time to adjust there. I worked there a full year and i was glad I was able to see my guys move into high school.

Now I’, at Grace EV Free. I’m not involved in ministry because they have so many workers, but the church itself is pretty good. It has three main pastors that rotate in preaching. These include Dr. Thoennes and Dr. Talley. It has deep theological foundations and feels a lot like Northshore. I’m glad I’m in a place surrounded by so many good churches.

Look to the next post for the second half of the list!