Being An Uncle (Among Other Things)

          First of all, I would like to apologize to everyone for not really keeping up with the blog very well. I knew that when I started this, I would eventually wind up struggling to keep up with it. These last few weeks have been pretty busy, so I haven't really been doing a good job of keeping everyone up to date with what's going on in my life.

          Well, to get started, I'M OFFICIALLY AN UNCLE! If you can't tell, I'm a little excited about this. My brother Evan and his wife Rebecca gave birth to a beautiful baby girl a couple weeks ago. Her name is Adalyn Larue McHugh. I'm not exactly sure how they came up with the name Adalyn, other than the fact that it's just an awesome name. I do know, however, why they had her middle name be Larue. That's the name of my awesome grandma (who we all affectionately refer to as Bunna). Anyways, this is the first time I've ever been an uncle and I'm really looking forward to being around Adalyn as she grows up. I'm also really happy since she's only about thirty minutes from MTSU, so I'm obviously going to be her favorite uncle (sorry Collin...). I'm already looking forward to seeing her all the time and watching Evan and Rebecca as they become the awesome parents that I know they will be.

          The other somewhat important thing that has happened in the last few weeks was that I turned 19. I was thinking about it and I realized that this is one of the most insignificant birthdays ever. I mean think about it; It's right after turning 18, which is obviously a big deal because it feels like you're finally an adult (kind of). Then it's right before turning 20, which is important because getting to your twenties just seems like a big deal to me. 19, on the other hand, is just not important. Nothing big happens when you turn 19 and I don't really feel any different at all. That said, I'm still hoping that this coming year is going to be great and that I'll continue to enjoy college and just life in general.

          During these last couple weeks, I've gone through a couple different phases of music. I've seen some really awesome concerts (Mike Mains and the Branches, Horse Feathers...etc), so be sure to look up those bands because they're really awesome. On the other hand, I've been introduced to Dallas Green, who plays under the name City and Colour. I have my good friend Andrew Travis to thank for showing me his music. He is kind of a folky, singer/songwriter who has a lot of tattoos and wears glasses that I could see an old man wearing. And the answer is yes, he does look awesome in those glasses. He has a very good voice that I can't really compare to anything else just because it doesn't really sound like anything else. His songs truly sound like they were written straight from his heart and the lyrics reflect that perfectly. If you're wondering what songs to check out, look up "Sleeping Sickness" and "Body In A Box". They're definitely solid. As always, check him out and let me know what you think.

-Colby McHugh

Pinpoint Evangelism...

         So last thursday a couple men from a group called Pinpoint Evangelism came to MTSU and tried to spread their own little version of Christianity all over our campus. You're probably wondering what they're all about. Well allow me to fill you in: they come to college campuses and literally stand on a pedestal and preach. Well, preaching is an understatement, its more yelling and screaming at passing students, calling them sinners, whores, and pretty much anything and everything else. Anyways, they came to MTSU and, needless to say, chaos ensued. When I first came outside and saw it, I literally thought there was a riot about to happen. The "preacher" was standing on his little pedestal, surrounded by a barrier and guarded by two cops. There were hundreds of students standing around the barrier, all yelling they're own arguments.
          Then I started to actually listen to what both sides were saying. For the most part, the students were screaming literally pointless things that were doing nothing but taking up space in everybody's ears. Of course, there were a few standout students that had legitimate arguments but, of course, the Pinpoint guys just ignored it. Most of the students were just making jokes and trying to be funny. Then there were the guys that were just yelling because everyone else was. They didn't care about what the preachers were saying, they just wanted to be cool and do whatever everyone else was doing.
           The Pinpoint guy's message was just ridiculous. He was saying that he never sins. Ever. On top of that, he would point out specific students (probably randomly) and yell at them that they were going to go to hell. Obviously, this is what almost started the riot. Apparently people don't like being told they're sinners and that they're going to hell. Who knew?
           There are very few things that make me angry. If you know me, then you know that its really hard to genuinely piss me off. This was one of those times. As soon as I heard what everybody was actually saying, I was just immediately in a bad mood. Of course, I didn't start yelling like everyone else. That would have been stupid. I really hate obnoxious people and trust me, there were plenty to go around that day. Even more than that, I hate ignorant obnoxious people (as in people who argue and have no idea what they are talking about and happen to sound incredibly stupid) The Pinpoint guys infuriated me because they make Christians out to be just like them. I mean seriously, the people that walked by and saw them probably think that all Christians are like that. It gives us a bad name and that genuinely makes me more angry than I've been in a really long time.