I went to this awesome conference called Jubilee last Friday. Jubilee was for three days and I lived every minute of it. For those of you who do not know, Jubilee is a conference for Christians and anyone who wants to know more about Christianity. Jubilee is sponsored by the Coalition for Christian Outreach and was held at the Westin Convention Center in Pittsburgh. Some of the pictures consist of the conference and others consist of things that I did in my spare time (which was not much). There were a lot of students from OWU and we shared a charter bus with students from Ohio Dominican. The purpose of the Jubilee Conference was to instill Christianity in every aspect of life for believers and to recognize that there is always alternatives to the earthly ways of the world for skeptics and non-believers. Even though the conference brings a Christian perspective to life and its issues, the conferences sought to teach all people. The conference was not one sided and I think people left out of the Westin a lot stronger in their search for a better life and towards their walk with Christianity and its issues. I am sure that everyone was more than satisfied with the turn of events and programs for the weekend and that everyone will bring a friend for the conference next year.
To start off, I guess I will talk about leaving OWU on Friday to go to Pittsburgh. I did not know what was going to happen for the week. I just wanted to let everything fall into place. When I arrived on the charter bus, I was settling in with my books and my thoughts of the weekend. What I did not expect was the arrival of the Ohio Dominican students in full force. All of a sudden, the bus was packed. On the trip down to Pittsburgh, we watched Across the Universe. I thought the movie was kind of like an acid trip. It was surreal in some parts and just trippy in other parts. I got to know some of the Ohio Dominican students as well during the four hour bus ride. We got to Pittsburgh around eight o'clock when the conference was about to kick out with the first plenary session. We got our stuff, checked it through the chaos of 2000+ people, went to our rooms in the Convention Center, and following the crowd to the Ballroom area of the Westin. This was all done in the matter of twenty minutes after we got off the bus. The plenary session for the 8pm session on Friday was interesting. The keynote speaker was Anthony Bradley. The key point I got from them was that there is idolatry and pain in our lives and that both of these elements can effectively ruin a relationship with our family and God. If we can overcome idolatry of material items and escape pain in our lives, then we will be better able to grow in our relationship and create homes that are less likely to become broken. Right after, I had a small group discussion with a couple of people from OWU. For ten minutes, we discussed if the session had an impact and what was important in the speaker's message. I learned a bit from Anthony Bradley and so did the other members of my group. I went outside the ballroom area to purchase some books about how to implement Christianity into our lives in the professional and sports setting. The books are really interesting. I got a couple of books about hip-hop and the Bible and a book about the impact of Christianity on athletes and coaches such as Tony Dungy. After my purchases, I went back inside the ballroom area to hear a group called the Cross Movement. All of the songs were catchy and guess what, NO VULGARITY! I was hearing the truth in their message while they addressed urban issues, something I deal with in the summer when I am back home. I brought their newest CD. I have yet to listen to it since I have been back at OWU but I will eventually. I went back to the hotel room soon after the concert; it was getting late and I had to catch up on some reading for class. I got to order room service (of course, it was not the cheapest thing in the world but I figure that I would be stupid not to take advantage of the opportunity. Also, I was starving.)
Saturday-
Saturday was the longest and probably one of the rewarding days I have had in a long time. I started the day off with a tour of the five-star workout area, sponsored by Reebok. Honestly, I did not know what to expect but once I got going with experimenting the equipment, I was floored (and since this was at 7 am, I was all the once floored). I worked out for about thirty minutes, training with the elliptical, the abdominal machine, and the military presses. Seeing that I was on limited, I decided to switch up to the pool area. Around 7:30 am, I went to the whirlpool section of the pool area and hopped right in. The sensation of the bubbles on my body was tantalizing and relaxing. The whirlpool put me into a contemplative mood where I reflected on Friday's sessions and what was in store for the day. After ten minutes of relaxation and contemplation, I jumped out and headed into the sauna room for a couple minutes for more contemplation. The first time I got into a sauna was in the Mariott in downtown Cleveland and have fallen in love with it ever since. In the sauna, I prayed under the intense heat. The experience was enlightening for me. I showered and went to the elaborate locker room to change. I will explain in detail the locker room under the pictures later. I went up to Lisa Ho's room (one of the administrators on the trip from OWU) and got breakfast- OJ, bagels, and breakfast bars were on the itinerary. I had to head up to my room, which was on the 23th floor, hers was on the 19th, to quickly change as I had a breakout session at 9 am.
The first breakout session I went to was for an outreach program called Blood: Water Mission. The purpose of this program was to raise money to put in 1,000 clean water wells in regions of Africa. The program was started by Jars of Clay for outreach to Africa. I thought the presentation was good and that it seemed to really serve a valuable and practical purpose- everyone involved would be able to benefit from the outreach program. This program was a good one to warm Saturday up a bit.
The second plenary session was next at 10:30 am. The local band played to get the crowd pumped up for the day and the session went off without a hitch. The second keynote speaker of the series was Kelly Monroe Kullberg. When I first heard that she was during the keynote speaker, I thought she might take the perspective from a feminine approach. However, she did not and rather, she reflected on life stories on herself and other individual to convey her points. She was very subtle in teaching us her life story. Her triumphs, her failures, everything was included in the session. I was very happy with the overall presentation and I knew that things in the conference could only go up from here.
We left for lunch and I ended up in the strip session of downtown Pittsburgh. The streets were packed and I was trying to find a restaurant and finish it quickly to go back to the sessions at 2 pm. That did not work out as well as I thought. The plenary session ran a little late and I did not find a good restaurant until after 1 pm. I settled at a place called Roland's for lunch, a very homely place to eat in the middle of the day. I ordered a little bit and realized that I would not be back around 2 pm. Instead, I hiked back around 2:30 pm and caught the last hour for the next breakout session. Breakout session #2 was Lowrie McCown. This session was interesting for the fact that he spoke on the issue of incorporating a Christian lifestyle into the often aggressive ways of sports. I am not an athlete per se but I know the principles of being on a sports team is the same as being on any other team. There are some times where we get so caught in the passion for sports or other things that we forget about why we are playing in the first place. Integrating your thinking to be above the material things in the world of sports is something to consider. Two examples were shown. One was Tony Dungy and how he implements his knowledge of Christianity into the sports realm. The other was rather weird for me at least. The example was of Seabiscuit. Once Seabiscuit was shown and his life story explained, I understood why Seabiscuit was chosen. Determination despite being the underdog and overcoming the odds was the key for the session. I was glad to be in that session- I learned a great deal that I want to share with the athletes here at OWU.
Breakout session #3 was
really interesting because it was different than any other session, plenary or breakout on the agenda. Before I arrived at the Jubilee conference, I signed up for the Jubilee Africana/Latino portion. I did not go to the two scheduled previously so I figured I better go before my time was up at Jubilee. The 3rd breakout session was off-site at Epiphany Church. The session was about the differences that Blacks and Latinos see in each other. A siren went off in my head. How controversial is this going to be? The session starts with the Blacks naming the characteristics of Latinos and vice versa for them to us. Then we analyzed the issues and eventually we looked at the message of solidarity which was given to us in 1 Corinthians 12 12:26 (I have that bible verse memorized out of all the verses said over the week). I thought the message the session was trying to convey was very cool and applicable in our lives. Despite the fact that we judge from time-to-time (Christians too), we all have to see that we are the same and that we all need to mutually edify yourselves to becoming a better people for ourselves and for God. After the session, the Church fed us food in which you will see a sample of the food in my picture. No, I did not take the picture of the food just to show it off. This picture is more symbolic and I will explain that later in the pictures section.
I went back up to the conference area to find OWU members around 7 pm in the Ballroom where the 3rd plenary session was to commence. Same format- worship, introduction, more worship, more information, then the announcement of the keynote speaker. The 3rd keynote speaker was Charles (Chuck) Colson. Just some information: Chuck Colson was the chief counsel for
Nixon from 1969 to 1973 and was one of the
Watergate Seven jailed for
Watergate-related charges (underlined words for emphasis) After his emergence as a Christian, he reached out to those less fortunate to where the most feared criminals reside: the prison system. This is a very rare opportunity to hear someone like Chuck Colson speak about her faith and why it is important to believe in God. For about an hour, my spirit was lifted like never before and my confidence as a Christian soared as high as the heavens above. Basically in the simplest of terms, he told us that he was proud to see young Christians congregating and that we would have to continue to spread the Word. I have so much more to say about the message that Chuck Colson told us but I cannot possibly write it all in this blog. All I can say is that Chuck Colson's speech took my level and understanding for the Bible and for Christians unto a whole new and exciting level.
My small group once again on the day and this time, we all felt the message and elaborated on it- heavily. We all felt revived and happy with the sessions of that Saturday. I was ready to soak up another concert- this time with Derek Webb and his wife, Sandra McCracken. I was vaguely familiar with the work of Derek Webb before the concert because of Caedmon's Call and I never even heard of Sandra McCracken. Once again, I arrived in the middle of the concert set because of my small group meeting and browsing the books again. The music I did pick up was very fresh and good to my ears. The song that stuck out the most was
Savior on Capitol Hill. The song was fresh to all of our ears, reminding us that it is that time of year in our lives (political season, that is). The song was short but to the point. To end the day, I went to the tables near the hotel rooms where people talked about seminaries, missionaries, and other opportunities for people interested and who are called to do these opportunities. I decided to go try out the Fish Market downstairs. I hung out with some of my friends from OWU for a late night fish feast. I knew that this would an expensive excursion but I am in Pittsburgh so I am going to live a little. My Livornese Chilean Seabass cost $$$$ but it was definitely worth it. I went to bed satisfied in almost every way. Yeah!!!
Sunday-
Same routine as Saturday until 9 am where I attend the final breakout session. The issue is controversial- homosexuality. Chad Thompson was the speaker for the breakout session and we discussed his book-
Loving Homosexuals As Jesus Would. As controversial as the topic was, there were no major outbursts or anything of the sort. Chad Thompson told his story and then told how us the message of the book. I liked the session because it gave me a better view of how Christians need to stop being one-sided in their view of homosexuals and become more open in their views. Being one-dimensional towards a group of people will not help Christians out and that their view needs to become more broad to remove this image of Christians. I wish this session was longer because the room was packed like many of the other sessions for me on Saturday.
Last session of the conference was a plenary session with Donald Miller, author of
Blue Like Jazz. I felt like this session was a success as well- Donald Miller was funny, insightful, and even had us interact and move for a little bit for a little activity. I felt that the perspective that he told us about his work as an author was a little different than the other plenary sessions. He was a little more out there in his logic even though to me it made sense. Donald Miller seemed more whimsical in his approach to implementing Christianity into the art of writing, production, and daily life. Nevertheless, he was laid back and the message was here for us to grab and spread to everyone.
Just to reflect. This was an unbelievable. Totally worth the money. Practically every second from the second I got on the charter bus at OWU until the second I got off the charter bus at OWU was a thrilling roller coaster into delving wholeheartedly into my faith and my walk with God. Celebrating my love for Christ with 2000+ other Christians was unforgettable. I am definitely telling my friends, family, and everyone else about my experience because IT WAS INCREDIBLE. I am still recovering from the high I got being at Jubilee 2008.
Now, some pictures, in no particular order, shown at the top of the page.
#1- Night life in Pittsburgh. Beautiful.
#2- The Infamous pool area and the beloved whirlpool that I reflected my thoughts in.
#3- Another view of night life, this time from the 23th floor on my room.
#4- The ultimate workout room. I was pumping that iron before I was pumping my mind.
#5- The locker room! This reeks of awesomeness! That was truly a surprise and a treat to me. The services were top-notch as well, I might add.
#6- The title of this says it all. The Ballroom where everything went down!
#7- The nice looking 5-star Westin Convention Center.
#8- The sunset that finished off our experience at Jubilee 2008. Pretty, isn't it?
#9- This image caught my eye. "To Live" is the point of coming to this conference.
#10- Jubilee- A catalytic event about living out your faith in every area of life.
#11-Derek Webb performing Savior on Capitol Hill.
#12-Ah!!! The Fish Market. High class, might I say.
#13-Shelbie Ely and Mery Kanashiro smiling for the camera.
#14- The men of Greek Life- Andrew Au and yours truly.
#15- The OWU Jubilee banner for 2008.
#16- An interesting picture of the landscape coming back from lunch. Environmental alteration, anyone?
#17- Me playing with the camera with my new bud from Ohio Dominican, Barry. I have a new facebook profile picture as a result of this picture and Barry's camera. Check it out.
#18- Dinner at Epiphany Church outside of the Westin Convention Center. ODU students await.
#19- Some of the meal. Chicken, salad, and penne pasta. Yeah, baby!!
#20-Another picture of the concert- Sandra McCracken and Derek Webb.
Living in His spirit and singing the praises of His jubilee,
Hasani Wheat
Class of '10
This week seems to be the busiest week of the academic year so far. This week also appears to be the busiest in terms of meetings and commitments I have made. I feel that all of the pressure is on me right now. As a member of the sophomore class with junior status, I can tell you it is not an easy task. With four history classes and a film class with three of those classes as a writing extensive course, I am seeing the consequences in not being able to pull eighteen hour study days or better yet, an all-nighter. Next week will be a challenge for me because guess what? It is the week before spring break and all of the work in everyone of my classes is piled unto me. I am talking mid-terms, papers, research, the whole nine yards. I think next week will be a determining moment in my academic career because this will either make or break me for the remainder of this semester.
To settle down from the assignment and the work load for this week, I did a couple of things. Obviously, I had to take a break. I figured what better way to waste time than to stand on my balcony and take pictures of the beautiful weather outside. I wanted to see how much of the Hill I could capture. I was impressed with the results; see for yourselves. I really needed a break and some fresh air; I was finishing up two books for two different history classes, one which I wrote a critical analysis on. This was on Tuesday, by the way, where I had four classes, two meetings, and a paper all due on Wednesday. I was stressed so I needed to do something, anything other than bury my head in books for the rest of the day.
appeared on stage. Matt Wertz was personable, enthusiastic about his performance, and incredibly interactive with the crowd. All of the songs were good and some songs even made me shout or move rhythmically. I was very hapy with the performance. I thought the concert was a good way to leave all of my sorrows behind, at least for the night.
Greensboro, North Carolina, I figure that I will go to help out a little bit. I had two additional meetings between the working times, one for the Arts and Sciences group to get a feedback on the REAL Ohio Wesleyan, and the other meeting for Interfraternity Council. I talked to a couple of people, helped out whenever I could in the little time I had, and tried the soup. Good soup, I might say. I thought that Soups for Shelter was a good event for the city of Delaware to throw to the OWU community as well as the general community. I only wish I had more time there to help out and to explain the purpose of why I joined Habitat for Humanity to others.
