by Emily Snell | Oct 13, 2011 | News Slider
Katie Davis faced a dramatic life transformation nearly five years ago, and now at age 22, as the mother of 13 Ugandan children, she is changing the world one life at a time. Davis spoke at The Gathering on Thursday Oct. 13 to tell her story and the stories of people she has met and to encourage students to walk in obedience to God’s call. During her senior year of high school, Davis went on a Christmas break mission trip to Uganda. Her heart was so deeply touched by the people she encountered that she had to go back to the East African nation and care for them. “I wanted to do something, even if it was small,” Davis said. Davis established Amazima Ministries in 2008, in order to help more children by partnering them with sponsors around the world. The organization “feeds, educates, and encourages orphaned and vulnerable children and the poor in the country of Uganda.” A $300/year sponsorship provides some medical care, school supplies, three meals a day and spiritual encouragement. When Davis began Amazima, which means “truth” in Lugandan, she said she expected to have a couple dozen children involved. In January 2008, there were already 150, and now the ministry has more than 450 sponsored kids. Davis has adopted 13 AIDS orphans, some of whom have special needs. “God created this family out of brokenness,” she said. Davis said most people hear her story and either think she is crazy or extraordinary. But she says she simply obeys the commands Jesus gave. “I’m just a normal person,” Davis said, “and in these little ordinary...
by Emily Snell | Oct 13, 2011 | News Slider
“Occupy” protests are taking place in Nashville, across the nation and even worldwide as people voice their concerns about corporate corruption in politics. The Occupy Nashville movement made its first appearance in Music City on Thursday, Oct. 6, when several hundred protesters led chants and gave speeches for an hour and a half in Legislative Plaza. On Saturday, Oct. 8, about 150 people congregated at Centennial Park for an informational meeting to determine further efforts to support the worldwide protests, which began on Wall Street on Sept. 17. Late Sunday, another 35 people gathered in Legislative Plaza. Lipscomb’s Clay Smith, a senior from Troy, Tenn., majoring in Spanish education, went to Thursday’s protest to document the activity and to hear participants’ perspectives. “I’ve been following what’s happening on Wall Street,” Smith said, “and I wanted to see what that would look like in other cities. “I think that a lot of people’s frustrations come from the fact that a lot of government agencies have gotten bail outs, but the average person hasn’t been helped much by it.” Smith believes America was founded on accountability and the right of the people to confront the government when it does something wrong. “I think it’s always important for us to hold the government accountable,” he said. “I think it’s a good thing for people to be talking about.” Smith said he thinks the protesters hope the government will take them seriously, just as it takes corporations seriously. He said many people are upset by the idea of “corporate personhood” and think the government has lost focus on the nation’s true citizens. “I...
by Cory Woodroof | Oct 12, 2011 | News Slider
If you either got the scent of a delicious meal or heard some good music this past Monday night, thank the folks at Open Table Nashville. Open Table Nashville recently hosted its 2nd annual Southern Cookin’ and Music Festival in the Flatt Amphitheater. The event was created to help raise money for the non-profit, interfaith organization. Brett Flener, a senior Law Justice and Society major and one of the organization’s co-founders, is very appreciative of the social and service clubs that helped with the event, as well as the other supporters of the organization. In addition to the southern food, there were several musical acts including Sarah Carter and the Pretty Ponies, Hogslop Duo, Jo’shua Odine, Relapse and Chrome Pony. Flener likes to think of the event as “spreading joy just to spread more joy.” He sees it as a “win-win” situation for everyone involved. Open Table Nashville defines itself as “a non-profit, interfaith community that disrupts cycles of poverty, journeys with the marginalized and provides education about issues of homelessness.” Open Table also works to provide community and transitional housing. Flener says that he wants everyone to know that Open Table Nashville is a community. ”We’re not really here to ‘fix’ people,” he said. “We don’t see these people as problems. We see them as brothers and sisters to be journeyed with.” Flener said that he wants Open Table Nashville to provide a community for those who have lost their own. “What we are looking to do, especially through our community houses, is to plug in and say ‘We want to be that family now,” he said. “We...
by Cory Woodroof | Oct 12, 2011 | News Slider
As Midterms are in full swing, here are a couple of Redbox choices to help ease your studious mind. Being that there are no new releases that are really worth recommending, this Redbox Report will feature older titles that are still worth a look. TRON: LEGACY (PG, 125 minutes-featuring Garrett Hedlund, Olivia Wilde, and Jeff Bridges) *BLU-RAY OPTION RECOMMENDED Being somewhat of a film nerd, I love the 1982 sci-fi classic Tron. At its initial release, Tron revolutionized the world of graphic design in film. Almost twenty years later, Tron: Legacy continued the story of the digitalized world. This time around, Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund) embarks on a journey across The Grid, the world where Tron: Legacy takes place, to find his long-lost father (Jeff Bridges). The film is complete with jaw-dropping visual effects, the return of franchise star Bridges, and solid performances by Hedlund and Olivia Wilde. Even if you’ve never seen the original, this film is still a fun, stylish film that is sure to entertain. And who wouldn’t want to see Jeff Bridges in two different roles – he’s also a villain? Tron: Legacy has been on Redbox for a good while now but is definitely still worth a rental. MORNING GLORY (PG-13, 107 minutes-featuring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, and Patrick Wilson) I’m usually not one for a “chick-flick”, but if it’s one produced by J.J. Abrams, I’m in. Rachel McAdams plays a TV producer who takes a job at a failing program. She enlists the help of a famous news anchor (played by Harrison Ford) to co-anchor the show, and the hijinks ensue....
by Kathryn Claire Watts | Oct 10, 2011 | News Slider
The 2011 fall missions fair went off without a hitch last week. Trips around the world were represented in the student center on Tuesday, with many team leaders from each trip there to speak to students. “The missions fair is a very important event for our trip,” said Northern Ireland leader John Williams. “It is a chance for us to talk to nearly 100 students about what we do and why we are so excited about going to Northern Ireland year after year.” The fair also had many new trips added to the selection. Daley Hilburn, event and student work coordinator for the office of admissions, is organizing a trip to her hometown of Patterson, Calif. “The missions fair was a great success,” said Hilburn. “I was a little apprehensive at first as to how my trip would be received as it is a very small, grass-roots type of trip to the middle-of-nowhere, California. But everyone I spoke with really liked the idea. I’m so excited to see what God has planned for this trip!” The next step in the missions process is to attend an interest meeting. The meetings will be held from now until Oct. 30. For this week’s meetings, click on the schedule to the right. The missions department will host a commitment week from Oct. 31 to Nov. 4, when future participants commit to their particular trip. There are tons of trips to choose from, so make sure you take the time to learn about which one is right for you! For more information, visit the mission department...
by Danielle Boyd | Oct 8, 2011 | News Slider
This week, Professor Stephen A. Greyser was the honorary recipient of Lipscomb’s MediaMasters award presented by the Department of Communication and Journalism. Mr. Greyser, is the Richard P. Chapman Professor of Business Administration (Marketing and Communications) Emeritus at Harvard Business School, where he specializes in brand marketing, advertising and corporate communications, sports management, and non-profit management. He said his interest in marketing and advertising sparked at an early age after completing work with an advertising agency. “I was still just a high school senior,” Greyser said. “I had a relationship that developed totally coincidentally with an organization that turned out to be an advertising agency, so I was engaged in broadcasting and went on to producing.” “Then, I decided to study more seriously about those topics and eventually wrote my dissertation…and took a lot of courses for my master’s and doctorate,” he said. Greyser has been active in organizations in the marketing field, serving as a national director of the American Marketing Association and chairman of its publication, on the advisory council of the Association for Consumer Research and as former president and chairman of the American Academy of Advertising. Greyser is a man of many accomplishments, skills and expertise in Corporate Reputation and Marketing Communications. On Wednesday, many students, faculty and colleagues gathered to hear Greyser’s speech on “Authenticity, Trust and Corporate Reputation.” “Reputation takes time to build and can have great value,” Greyser said, “and that value manifests itself in terms of attracting new customers and affirming the loyalty of existing customers. But reputation can be fragile…just ask Martha Stewart.” In his speech, Greyser outlined four elements of authenticity that are...
