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Some people call it Fear Factor; we call it Murph’s Challenge.  Physical and mental challenges awaited the daring students of OCU, and many people gathered outside to cheer on the five teams.  After wheel barrel racing across the Grassy Knoll, the participants had to see how long they could hold two bottles of Gatorade with their arms stretched out at their sides.  If you had been there, you would have heard people shouting over and over, “If you drop them, I’ll drop them!”

The next three challenges were held in the Cafeteria.  I won’t tell you what the challenges were, but I will tell you there were blindfolds, razors, edible play dough, and “thousand year old eggs.”  Many students were up for the challenges; not all passed the tests.  I won’t tell you who won either, but if you decide to come to school at OCU, you could be a part of the 2^nd Annual Murph’s Challenge next Spring.  Even if you don’t compete in the challenges, it’s a very exciting event to be a spectator of! 

It’s never too early to start thinking about college, even if you are just in first grade.  Chandler Elementary School brought about 100 first graders to OCU for a field trip.  Our Student Ambassadors gave them a campus tour, and they got to see the President’s Office, browse through the Dunn Art Gallery, and play a little foosball in the game room.  After eating their sack lunches in the Johnson Center, they got to meet some of our student athletes.  Our guests were especially excited to meet athletes from places like Venezuela, Australia, and Scotland!  After the meet and greet, the first graders participated in all kinds of fun activities in the Kennedy Center hosted by the School of Education.

The first graders are college bound, and it’s never too early for YOU to be thinking about college either.  We would love for you to come visit OCU, take a tour of campus, and meet some of our professors and students.  Any questions that you have, we will gladly help you with! 

The Campus Life Office hosted One Day Without Shoes for all OCU students, faculty, and staff.  This event, created by TOMS Shoes, was put on to raise awareness for children who suffer everyday because they don’t have shoes.  After walking into the Johnson Center, everyone kicked off their shoes to play games and participate in activities such as footwashing, jewelry making, foot tattoos, and triathlons.  The students could also purchase a pair of TOMS shoes and decorate them however they wanted to. 

I thought I would take a moment to fill you, the readers of the OCU Blog, in on all that has happened on campus since my last blog entry.  Even though Earthlight has been traveling around to share their music in various churches, they were able to sing for chapel at the end of February.  For all you Earthlight fans, the group’s recently released CD can be purchased in the OCU Bookstore!

While the Student Ambassadors have been doing the usual call nights and campus visits, the Canned Food Drive on campus and the Winter Jam concert in Evansville were just a couple of the extra fun events that they had the chance to be a part of.

Well, as I’m sitting here thinking about it, there were so many other events that went on, that I don’t have room to write about all of them!  Just to highlight a few though, we recently opened the Deaconess Health Clinic here on campus, allowing our students easy access to health care.  We also hosted the NCCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament in the Johnson Center for the fifth year.  And last but not least, our drama department put on the play “CLUE” with different endings each night! 

Homecoming weekend brought in a flurry of activities (but no snowflakes) to OCU.  People from all walks of life who once walked the hallways of Oakland City University returned for Alumni games, important dinners, and Hall of Fame inductions.  I was greatly anticipating the crowning of the King and Queen, as it is always my favorite part about Homecoming.  Every campus organization was represented in the Court, and the OCU family came to show some love for the nominees.

After that, it was time for an afternoon of basketball!  Most of the OCU students there dressed for the WHITE OUT theme, and it looked like a big bucket of white paint had been thrown at the home bleachers.  The students who participated received not one, not two, but THREE chances to win either an iPod Touch, an iPad, or a 42 inch flat-screen TV!

The screams and cheers inside “The Jungle” added to the intensity of the drama on the court.  The Lady Oaks and the Mighty Oaks both scored big, defeating their opponents, and it was the Mighty Oaks’ third consecutive win!  To top off the Homecoming festivities, three lucky students walked away with just a bit more of a spring in their step, having also scored something BIG! 

“O come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant” are the beginning words to one of those songs that people hear on the radio during Christmas time but often change the channel to listen to a style of music that is more “hip.”  However, on a partially cold Thursday evening, people were even sitting in the aisles of the packed out Barnard Recital Hall as they listened to the OCU Choir sing that song.

Not once did I enter a state of boredom during that delightful evening of music.  While I loved the Christmas hymns and contemporary arrangements, my favorite part of the night was the rather random and humorous way the choir chose to end the concert.  To the audience’s surprise and sheer delight, The OCU Singers sang “Good King Kong Looked Out” while the OCU choir played the different parts on kazoos!  The concert came to a great ending with the whole audience laughing joyfully and triumphantly!  Merry Christmas! 

We recently celebrated the 125^th Founder’s Day at OCU!  Matthew 7:24-27 was read by our campus minister at the beginning of the program, setting the stage for the Founder’s Day Address.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” 

This year’s speaker reflected on how the school had been founded on “rocky ground,” and he challenged everyone to make sure that their lives and this school stay founded on “The Rock” – Jesus Christ.  I’m so very thankful for the Christian leaders of OCU’s past who have contributed to make this school what it is today – a place where we can learn together, worship together, and serve together. 

Earthlight sang for chapel on Wednesday a few weeks ago.  My favorite song they sang was called “King Jesus.”  Listening to it just has a way of brightening my day!  Wednesday is my favorite day of the week here at OCU because we all have the opportunity to go to the chapel service.  We usually have a professor on campus or a local pastor deliver a message, and we also have a time of worship through singing.

Speaking of singing, one of our recent events here on campus was the OCU Idol contest.  From singing and songwriting, to sign language and guitar playing, the host, judges, and contestants made it a highly entertaining evening.  God has truly blessed our students with some unique talents!  I hope that whatever your talent is, you allow Him to use it for His glory! 

Last Saturday, Lucretia Street was shut down for the Free Concert on the OCU campus!  Prior to the concert, some of our campus organizations had booths set up for a cookout, bake sale, and prizes.  At the concert, OCU students Mat Murphy and Preston Owens sang some of their own songs, and Jon Hose and Yancey Duckett performed some rap music, including the debut of their song, “The OCU Anthem.”

After that, The Great Romance, a Christian band from St. Louis, Missouri, put on a rock concert!  The lead singer, Matt Vollmar, is an alumnus of OCU.  The first time I heard them play was at The General Baptist National Youth Conference in 2009, and they immediately became one of my favorite bands.  Since then, they have come to the Southern Indiana region several times and have gained a following of OCU students and various church youth groups in the area.  The guys in the band truly have hearts for the Lord, and it is so awesome to see how they are serving Him through their music ministry! 

I can’t believe how quickly the past two weeks have gone by!  We stayed busy with many back-to-school events starting off with Move-In Day.  After a long and hot day of traveling, unloading their overstuffed cars, and moving into their new home here at OCU, the new students and their parents attended the Ice Cream Social hosted by the faculty and staff.  We also had a campus-wide cookout on the grassy knoll the night before classes began.  It was great to finally have everyone back!

Last Sunday night, First General Baptist Church hosted a welcome back service and meal for our students.  AJ Ford (President of SGA) spoke about the missions trip that a group of OCU students were a part of this summer.  They helped in an orphanage and also did construction work through Faith Home, which is a child care facility in Honduras.  It was such a blessing to hear about their experience and see the impact it had on their lives.

My favorite event from the past two weeks was Movie Night.  After a large inflatable TV screen was set up outside, the students brought their lawn chairs and blankets to the courtyard for a viewing of Toy Story (yes, we’re college KIDS!) and The Blindside.  As I sat there eating my bag of salty popcorn, I looked out across the campus at the brightly lit buildings in stark contrast with the pitch black night sky. As I pulled my sweat shirt a little closer against the chill of the late hour, I thought about how great it is to be a part of a campus where people care about each other for who they are on the inside.  It was one of those moments where you are content because you know you are doing what you are supposed to be doing.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to bond with the students here and be a part of the stories that are being written with their lives.