You (Kind of) Asked For It

Okay, not really.  Nobody actually asked for an update to the blog.  But too bad, I miss you guys, so here comes a post.

Yes, I know that it's not Christmas...

Gary, Sam, Ryan, and Jake, you guys commented on the last post, and, therefore, are special…just like everyone else.  In other words, not that special.  But special nonetheless.  Wrap your mind around that one, whilst I ramble on.

I’ve spent some time thinking about the year we spent together on 3MJ, the collective experience, made up of a host of individual successes and failures that have shaped my life in distinguishable ways.  Indubitably – one of Gary’s favorite words of all time – that year impacted each of our lives in many life-altering ways.  Which makes it special.  Just like every other year.  In other words, not that special.  But special nonetheless.

Rexy's 3MJ Hair Cut

I thought it could be cool to share/hear some of the lessons learned individually over the course of that year.  Here are some immediate examples that come to mind:

• Crossing frozen ponds that aren’t actually frozen is apparently not the best idea…who knew?
• Neither is speeding down a narrow hallway in a large laundry cart…
• Or throwing apples at people in close proximity to light poles…
• Or taking over for the Vice President of Student Life & Learning when it comes time to issue fines…
• Another poorly executed great idea that can be chalked up to freshmen year n00b status: jumping off a wall and landing on your collar bone – seriously, who does that?
• Yet another rookie mistake: falling for the fatally flawed, fallacious logic that Niagara Falls looks better at three o’clock in the rainy, foggy morning.

More good hair - thanks to 3MJ Service Day!

Just kidding, those were the first thoughts to come to mind, but I actually considered (only considered) being serious for a moment and thinking through some real life lessons learned.

• Like what it looks like to choose to love a community of diverse individuals, and then try to stick to a decision to love when it gets hard.
• Like how humbling it is to be inadequate in every way, yet still loved infinitely.
• Like how challenging it is when you feel like you’re not making a difference.

And how, despite doubt and disillusion, God is the one actually loving and providing the strength to love, the one who is more than adequate, the one actually making a difference, the one who causes growth, and the one who is above all else.  In the end (and right now, and since the beginning), He is all that matters…He is the one who is special.  Unlike everyone else.

Now wrap your mind around that.

And try not to think about the dynamics in this picture...

Is There Anybody Out There?

Just wondering…does anybody ever still look back at this memoir of the greatest hall of all time?

Comment if you do – there’s potential for updates!

10/26/2010

Hey 3MJ,

I’d love to keep this blog going strong, but we’ve been slacking off lately.  If you want to write a post, and I’m sure everyone wants to hear what’s going on in your life, just send me an email and let me know.  Soon.

Love,

Mom

9/19/2010

Men of 3MJ,

Welcome back to Grove City!  I hope all of you enjoyed summer, were able to relax after the school year, be productive, see family and friends and home, and do interesting and cool things.  And now we’re three weeks into our sophomore (Gray and Dimmer, Senior) year of college.  It seems to be going by quickly already.  Classes get more interesting and more specialized as we learn new things and get deeper into our majors.

We’re spread out among Lincoln, Hopeman, Hicks and Ketler, but I’m impressed and happy to see that our spirit of hall unity (or if not that, then the friendships we developed on the hall) is still evident when we see one another around campus.  When I see guys from our hall holding doors for other people, I think of our service days last year and see that the service is outliving the scheduled project.  Adam Walker’s 3MU hall dinner was a great idea and had a great turnout; I would be happy to see this become a monthly event.

As the semester continues, let us seek excellence in our studies and various endeavors. Work hard, laugh heartily, pray daily, and pity the Physics majors.

-Ed

P.S. Stop by Ketler 121 sometime (that’s Central Terrace).  I have some Tootsie Rolls I’m trying to get rid of.

8/29/2010

So this week has been quite interesting so far. In case you didn’t know, I went home this weekend, to a house full of people (there were 12 people there for dinner on Saturday, my family only has 4 members). But in this case it was a great blessing to have that many people there. To make a long story short, I went home to go to a concert at my church that was a really good friend of mines band. The concert was awesome, and I had a great time at home, but it made me realize what I truly miss about our amazing hall of awesomeness that we call 3MJ. So here it goes.

1. The awesome times that we all have together. Take for example tonight. First, bible study was awesome, if you didn’t go, you missed out. Second, I had an opportunity to go to a proxy’s game tonight. If you haven’t gone to one, well then you missed out! Truly the proxy’s know how to make a basketball game super fun, and the Okies do as well. From Dom dancing at half time in a purple blouse and skirt, to the okies of 3MJ flinging sheetz MTO’s at the fans, it was a great experience with the bros. Thirdly, tonight, Gary, Tristan, And Moses had some great talks. If you haven’t had the pleasure of chilling with Tristan past midnight, you need to have the experience, it will make your sides split. Truly our hall is awesome together.
2. This blog. For me I have to read the blog everyday to see what you all have posted, it truly makes my day better. They are always hilarious, totally unique, and serious at the same time. It helps you understand that person better. Every time I read them I feel inspired and challenged to show my love to y’all better and to the world.
3. The great sense of humor that we all have. Sitting at home, I suddenly realized at certain times, that a certain person would have the perfect thing to say in a situation that I was in. From wishing that Noah was there to hear a perfectly timed physics joke, to thinking of a great diabetes joke and realizing that Gary wasn’t around, I just really missed you guys. And, even though it is hard to say, sometimes I even missed the new push by our step brother, Matt Erdely, unity in nudity. Walking around at home before church, I realized that I wasn’t on the hall and should probably quickly get to my room before all the guests just see me chilling in a towel. Home life is just not the same anymore.

And now for some words of wisdom from your brothers. Something that I have picked up form Gary, Pharaoh, when he speaks, we truly all should listen. You never know what is going to some out of his mouth, be it profound, or hilarious, or a combination of the two. The same is true of Moses, together these two could take over the entire world with just their good looks and the speech. Two, as I have already stated, hang with Tristan after midnight, it will truly make you forget what you were supposed to be doing and just sit in awe of his comedic genius. Thirdly, and this is from me, we all know in the classic Finding Nemo the classic line “Fish are friends, not food.” I propose that we think of that line in this matter, “Girls are friends, not food.” Now for those of you whose minds immediately went somewhere else, get them out of the gutter. If we seriously think of our sisters as not prizes to be won, but people to get to know for who they are, not just what we want, I truly believe that we will be able to, if we choose date them with a much better conscious.

Finally for some true words of wisdom, from Him who is Truth. Philippians 2:5-11, no I am not going to quote the whole thing, look it up for yourself. The beginning though is something that we should pay attention to. “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” vs 5 says. This is something that we need to not only look at, but put into practice. Read the rest of the passage to see what Christ thought like, but I will just say that the next verse is especially powerful. It says basically that even though Christ had perfect fellowship and love with the Trinity, He chose to give it up because of His love for you and me. Now how does that make you think differently about what you are called to do? If the Son of God would give up that communion and take upon Himself the very wrath of God, and that which He hated above all things, sin, what can you give up for the sake of the Gospel and the love of Christ being shown through you? Just something to think about.

Alrighty boys, I have taken up enough of your time, and mine as well. I need some sleep before a day of fellowship and fun with you all tomorrow. Keep it real and continue in His love, so that yours may be found only in Him.

Barnsey

6/19/2010

Yo 3MJ,

This post is coming at you from the shore of the Quemahoning Reservoir in Boswell, PA.  Summer’s Best Two Weeks is in session at the moment, but I have been given the majority of the day off, allowing you the pleasure of reading this blog post.  If you count my rambling as a pleasure:)

Camp has been both an exhausting adventure and a great blessing in my life thus far.  God is at work in so many ways and I have been privileged to experience His presence for the past month and a half.  The good news is that God is not only at work at SB2W.  He is active and moving where you are as well.  I hope that all of you are recognizing Him and finding Him quite evident where you are.

One amazing place I find God is in nature.  I have gotten to help lead a White Water Rafting trip twice in the past several weeks on the Class III and IV rapids of the Lower Yough in Western Pennsylvania.  Campers have astutely drawn many parallels between the experience on the water and the life of a Christian.  Despite the power and pull of the water, I have been able to survive the rapids and emerge a stronger rafter because I’ve stuck with the proper game plan and relied heavily on the leading of expert guides.  Similarly, by depending on God’s strength and His expert leading, we can survive the rapids of life and emerge stronger followers of the One who leads perfectly.

The power of the river is awe-inspiring, and the thought that God has created all that is around me is even more awesome.  What a mighty God we serve.

I’m also having a ton of fun at camp.  Activities like the High Ropes Course, the Zipline, the Trampoline, Canoeing, Sailing, and Climbing consume much of my afternoons.  Competitions like Basketball, Ultimate Frisbee, Hockey, and Soccer make morning life enjoyable.  Mealtimes, Cabin Cleanup, Rest Periods, competitive Meets, and special evening programs fill other parts of the day.  All of this revolves around the central idea of living life and following Jesus in close community with kids 8-18.  I can’t believe I have this opportunity.

Couple Notes:

1. I’ve been praying for each one of you guys who spent the last school year trying to put up with me and my craziness.  I value you guys a lot and have spent time talking on your behalf with the One who values you more than I do.  Love you all!

2. I would love to hear what you are going through this summer.  My access to technology is extremely limited, but please email me, call me, or write to me to let me know what’s up.  If you send it to me in an email I can post it on the blog where it can serve as a blessing to other 3MJers.  If you want to write me, my address is:

SB2W – Que

Gray MacKenzie

PO Box 173

250 Summer’s Best Lane

Boswell, PA 15531

3. If I think of anything else, I will write more next chance I get…

Love,

Mom

5/12/2010

3MJ,

Today is Wednesday, May 12, 2010.  Today, the last wave of you guys packed up your stuff and moved away, with the exception of Patch…who has to wait around for his sister’s graduation.  Hey lonesome, have a good time by yourself.  Today, Grove City Lacrosse plays Saint Thomas in the second round of the MCLA National Tournament.  The Tommies are the #1 seed in the country and haven’t lost in the past 24 games, including the 2009 National Championship game.  It’ll be sweet, plus there is snow on the ground here in Denver so it’ll be frigid.

Yesterday, we beat Western Oregon 11-8 in the first round.  You can watch the game online if you’re interested.  Dimmer pwned n00bs.

I can barely believe that when I get back to school at 2am Monday morning, nobody except Josh Ryskamp will be around.  I won’t see most of you in person all summer.  This year was awesome.  I loved that all you guys let me live with you for a whole school year.  I’m pumped for next year when I can walk all over campus and find you guys pwning n00bs everywhere.

Alright, I’ve got a game to play.

Love,

Mom

4/29/2010

As we approach the end of the school year, and put aside Robot Unicorn Attack and its catchy, but annoying song, for exam review, let us remember all the great things we can take away from our freshman year of college:

1. We made it!  Can you believe that we’re already a quarter of the way through college??
2. Friendships: We’ve been introduced to many new and exciting people.
3. Girls: Without them life could get really boring.  Then again, it might also be a whole lot easier.  Who knows?
4. Hopefully a closer relationship to God.  Whether or not this is true, we have a whole summer to make this happen!  What could be a better use of our time than that?

Could luck with exams everyone, and have a great summer!

witness

3mj….i first must apologize for the tardiness of this post-it was actually supposed to be made on the tuesday before the week we got out for break for easter….late – thats kinda my style. I arrived in this world late – on november first when i was supposed to be a october baby….interesting huh?  On the day that this post was supposed to be written, something extraordinary happened … monumental in fact…..and i have no idea what it was.

-amoore

Today, however, i witnessed rain falling, a couple making out in front of the library, a girl hitting her head against the wall while doing sit-ups, dom almost crying while doing sit-ups. gray eating half-a-day old chicken tenders at 12:00am, and some email about a guy getting a girl by playing a purple kazoo. weird day right? what did you witness…………………………?

4/26/2010

This blog entry is dedicated to the 3MJ blog faithful; who have pwned n00bs for two semesters from their third floor domain. This probably won’t be the last blog entry, but if it is, it’s my pleasure to write it one last time. I’ll go over the good, the bad and the ugly here at Grove City over the last few weeks. The bad here at GCC mainly has to do with systems set u by the college. Room draw is a beast that many of us experienced recently, although many 3MJers migrated to 3^rd floor Ketler, there are many of us who were left homeless following the process. It’s retarded how the college knows there will be many displaced rising sophomores and does nothing about it. Also, course registration probably ruined your day this past Thursday. I know I heard many screams, wails, and curses between 6:00 and 6:30. Also, I have heard many of you that signed up for calc 3 were inexplicably kicked into the same class but with a worse teacher. It just goes to show, you can’t trust the system. The gallon challenge also was a very bad occurrence. It put Dan Gummel in the hospital, and it stained the Lincoln lawn with Kevin’s chyme. Now for the ugly (as if the previous image in your head wasn’t ugly enough); Ed Quigley is scamming us so he can set the curve in all his classes by lowering our grades via the addictive game robot unicorn attack. Yeah, if you want to pass, you should probably stop. What’s that? 70,000? You’re probably too far gone…  Also, in this category is the mystery of Noah’s facebook account. It is being controlled by someone other than himself. Numerous attempts to uncover the culprit have failed. Now how about some good events over the past few weeks? Yes, Jars of Clay came to Grove City last week and really put on a show. If you weren’t there, you should be regretting it. Another hit show was the chemistry show; featuring the gummy worm terminator (see video on facebook) which pretty much exploded on stage. Anyway, moving on. What could be better than professional sports? Nothing. So yeah, if you haven’t heard me talk up a Pittsburgh sports team in a while and just have to hear it again before the end of the year, ask me about the Steelers! Er, I mean, the Penguins! Speaking of the penguins, the NHL playoffs are in full swing, featuring a stunning comeback, overtime victory by the PENGUINS!!!!! Also in the realm of sports, I am almost done with my NFL draft analysis, so if any of the football fans on the hall would like to learn about this year’s draft class, tell me and I’ll send you the file. Lastly under the good category is our reminiscing time last night, in which we heard some great stories including the streaking story by Loosy and M@t^t Er%d$le&y (name has been encrypted so if his dad googles his name, this won’t come up and he will never know that his son was evading campus safety, in winter, in wolf creek, naked.) that’s right I’m talking about you MATT ERDLEY!

And now the moment we’ve all been waiting for…

Here are the nominations as voted by you, 3MJ for the dumbest idea that came out of this hall, this year.

• “Treading on thin ice” : Loosy, Kevin, Erdley, and Herman get wet in memorial pond.
• a FINED frenzy: the Laundry cart derby.
• Matt Erdley. Nuff said.
• “A Widdy retort” : Poseidon calls back it up on Widdy “I’m going to punch you in the face”
• “Gary gets bete”: diabetes hinders Gary’s ability to contribute to society.
• “acid rain”: Erdley waters Memorial lawn from the 3^rd floor
• I’ll put back it up on the list! “back it up!” ok, here it is: BACK. IT. UP.
• “goat crossing”: Erdley brings his brand of entertainment to the hall
• “jumping the fence, eh?” : 3MJ goes to Canada
• “interior decorator extraordinaire”: Herman, makes his room an engineering disaster
• “Par-CRACK” : Rexrode breaks his collarbone while attempting parkour.
• “valuable cargo”: Jake rides in the trunk.
• “streaking from campus safety under the moon light.” :Erdley and Loosy have an adventure.
• “Having a blasty blast blast”: Loosy spits game.
• “a rotten all-nighter”: Loosy vacates his bed during the time when Rexrode planted a meat patty in said bed.
• “Sh!t the bed”: Erdley leaves Herman a present.
• “stressful procrastinating”: robot unicorn attack and bejeweled blitz consume study time
• “MAP under siege”: Katie’s window breaks. Twice.

And the winner for dumbest idea of the year is (determined by popular vote): *drum roll please*

“Treading on thin ice” : Loosy, Kevin, Erdley, and Herman get wet in memorial pond.

Thanks for all the memories 3MJ. It’s been a great year.

Tim