Local coffeehouses delight Lipscomb students

Within five minutes of Lipscomb alone, there’s the Frothy Monkey, Bongo Java, The Perch, Starbucks, The Well and Fido. The campus is almost surrounded by coffee shops. And there are plenty more, with new ones opening seemingly every week or so in and around Nashville. The number of shops makes it easy to jump around from place to place, but there is something about the familiar look, feel and taste of a coffee shop that lures people into going back again and again. For some, it’s the atmosphere that makes them a loyal customer. For others it is the location. Here’s a sampling of three that Lipscomb students have visited and recommend. Brianna Langley, a freshman communications major from Knoxville, finds a favorite in Cafe Coco at 210 Louise Avenue, down near Centennial Park and the Exit/In. “They are open 24-7, which is unique,” Langley said. “They’re also like a bar-slash-restaurant-slash-live-music venue, so they’re more than just a coffee shop. And the atmosphere is so different there. You can go at any time and see all walks of life.” For other students, coffee shops are all about the basics – the taste and quality of the coffee itself. “The Well is great,” said Mackenzie Carter, sophomore youth ministry major from Huntsville, Ala. “I go for coffee there more for the taste than the atmosphere, because if I have homework, it’s easier just to go to the Starbucks on campus.” The Well is an easy desination for Lipscomb students as itis located at 2035 Richard Jones Road in Green Hills. Well organizers have been discussing expanding to new locations and...

Children of missionaries share insight into past

Growing up is hard. Growing up in the mission field is harder. Children of missionaries often go through unique difficulties and experiences most people never encounter. “The mission field was difficult for me because I felt very lonely not knowing the language,” said Lipscomb freshman Mary Katherine Avrit. “Relationships were difficult.” Mary Katherine, along with her brother, Lipscomb sophomore Christopher Avrit, grew up in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Their parents were traveling missionaries in Southeast Asia. “At the same time, it was really good,” Mary Katherine said. “I would not be who I am today if I hadn’t been over there.” Her brother echoed his sister’s thoughts on the matter. “I would definitely raise my own kids in the mission field,” Christopher said. “Yes, there are challenges that come about, but the experiences you gain, the things you get to do and see… they stick with you.” Lipscomb’s own Dr. Earl Lavender, a Professor in the Bible department and the Director of Missions, spent his childhood in Trieste, Italy. “Italian was my first language, so English was the language I had to learn,” Dr. Lavender said. “When I moved back in elementary school, I had to repeat an elementary grade because I didn’t speak or write English well enough.” Dr. Lavender spoke openly about the bittersweet experience of growing up with two culturally different homes. “I’ve never really felt at home in American culture, but I don’t see that as a negative,” Dr. Lavender said. “I think it’s made me much more aware of a sort of global worldview that I wouldn’t have otherwise...

Lumination Newscast, March 24, 2013

In this semester’s ninth installment of Lumination News, Jeremy Keck and Nicolette Carney are behind the news desk to update you about what’s happening on campus. Nick Glende brings you up to date with technology news, and Caitlin Selle gives the scoop on all things entertainment. This week’s newscast features insight construction going on in Bison Square, a look into last week’s spring break, information on how Netflix can affect your grades and a look into the women’s track team. We also take a closer look at Lipscomb freshman Alex Banks, the newly launched LU Radio and information about the weekly Coffee House in Starbucks, as well as our weekly Nashville Spotlight and Tweets of the Week. Be sure to stay tuned for future newscasts published every Friday here on...

‘Nashville’ finds fans, extras at Lipscomb

One of the perks of living in Nashville is the great possibility of running into celebrities anywhere you go around town. Thanks to ABC’s newest show Nashville, local coffee shops, music venues and even grocery stores are now turning into TV sets, giving fans the opportunity for those two seconds of fame they’ve been dreaming of. Nashville supporters are taking advantage of the time they have with the cameras shedding light on Music City. Several Lipscomb students have even been featured in episodes that have been aired for the show. Lipscomb junior Kathryn McKinley made her on-screen debut as a Nashville Journalist. Ironically enough, McKinley is a communications major. Her role was to hold a voice recording while directors and producers called ‘action’ and ‘cut’ for three straight hours. “I actually got a speaking part even though I’m speaking with other people at the same time, but it’s still kind of cool because I can pick my voice out,” McKinley said. Students are also creating traditions out of watching Nashville. Lipscomb senior Katie Underwood said she and her friends gather around their TV every Wednesday at 9 p.m.  to view the show. “We love watching the show because we get to point out different places we’ve been to,” Underwood...

Lipscomb veteran student Ben Maenza overcomes odds to serve as inspiration to all

Ben Maenza, 24, from Brentwood, Tenn. has biked from St. Augustine, Fla., to San Diego, raced in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and plans to race in the Music City Marathon next month. The difference between Maenza and most other racers is that he does it with no legs. Maenza had been in Afghanistan for 28-days in October 2010 working as a combat engineer in the Marine Corps when a horrific explosion from an improvised explosive device (IED) resulted in the loss of both of his legs. “We were supposed to look for a body that was supposedly digging in an area that was a known site for IED’s,” Maenza explained. “Everything was regular, a regular patrol.” Maenza and his team went on patrol and secured the area when they came upon a riverbed they needed to cross. The area was a flooded cornfield, and the ground density caused the medal detectors not to work. “I got a really bad feeling about this,” Maenza said. “Just on the way that it was, it was like that was the way they wanted us to go. We went to look for another way. We found something, but the Sergeant was very persistent. He said ‘we’re going to cross where I want to cross.’” Maenza jumped into the river and led the team down the river towards where the body was. Four days prior, Maenza was involved in another explosion in the same area that claimed one life and wounded two others. The squad didn’t find what they were looking for and decided to walk back. “I got the Sergeant across...