Campus Days!! (By: Tim Cahill)

It's finals week, I cannot believe how fast this semester went by! There's something different about finals during the spring semester. Fall semester finals have a very different feel, maybe because there's the excitement to have a Christmas break, see family, and start new classes soon; but whatever it is spring semester ending is much different. There's a graduating class, schools going to be out for 4 months, we are all ready to be done with classes, but are sad to leave friends.

One great thing about the spring semester ending is all of the events. The school goes all out, and there are so many closing events to look forward to.

By far the best event is Campus Days. This year it is on April 22nd. Campus Days is the competition between all of the living areas to battle it out for the Pot. The Pot is like a witches cauldron that has been in the CBU tradition for over 30 years. The winner of campus days wins this gaudy Pot, with signatures of previous winners tagged all over it.

The teams are formed, matching t-shirts, and war paint, they come to the front lawn ready for battle. Nearly every game is ridiculous and fun. There is motorized toilet races, human foosball, giant basketball, crazy inflatable relay courses, and the list goes on. You play team after team, station after station for over an hour. There are chants and cheers, and everyone is staring at the coveted prize, the Pot.

Now there are some rules about the Pot, here are a few key ones: 1. It must be on campus at all times. 2. You may take the pot as long as no one is touching it. 3. It must be brought to Campus Days. 4. Hide it well, because people are looking for it.

The day comes to a close, the scores are tallied and everyone gathers to hear. The points are announced and the winners are crowned. It is a day of defeat for most, but for those lucky ones it is a day of victory. They will all sign the pot and hide it as best they can for the next year.

This will be my last campus day. I've come in 2nd place twice and I've never won the Pot but hopefully this will be the year!

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Jesus + Me = BFF. (Courtney Weatherly)

I always knew I wanted to go to college upon the completion of my high school education but never really knew where I wanted to go. There were some of my friends who knew exactly where they wanted to go and what it would take to get there, since the 5th grade. My older sister, Sam, went to Fresno Pacific so I was familiar with the Christian school thing. I loved how small the school was and how friendly the people were. Because she played volleyball and my family never missed a game, we got to visit a lot of schools (mostly Christian schools) all over California. By the end of my senior year, I decided that I wanted to go to a Christian school because I simply liked the idea of a Christian school. I began looking around and ended up applying to 6 schools (too many applications). I applied to CBU because my mom saw it online and thought it was worth a shot. Later on in the year, I visited CBU and could see myself fitting in with every aspect of the school. As acceptance letters started to come in and financial aid began to work itself out, I could not see myself anywhere but CBU.

After 4 years of being at CBU it is has become clear to me that God led me here. When I took a tour of the campus, I cannot explain the feeling that came over me that I was right where I was supposed to be. The people were so great (and if you’ve visited, that’s not just an act), the campus was beautiful, and the cafeteria dominated all others. I chose to come to CBU for the surface reasons and never imagined what would happen when I got here.

Looking back, I have realized that my spirituality and faith had never been really challenged before. Something that I can say that CBU truly believes in is encouraging its students to grow in academics as well as in Christ. Through Christian courses, leadership and ISP (International Service Projects) I have found that I have grown more in my time here than in any other time in my life. I have been encouraged to ask questions about what I believe and to not trust in what I have been told. More than anything I have been motivated to share Christ with others. Because CBU has such a great quality of students, I have surrounded myself with people who believe the same as I, and have felt that I have grown with their encouragement and love.

In coming to college, I knew I would grow in academics but never imagined how much I would grow in the Lord. I am so grateful for this progression and cannot put any price or loan amount on how evident this change in me was. These years of growth have been so positive and I am so appreciative the God used CBU in such a great way in my life.

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Oh The Places You'll Go. (By: Courtney Weatherly)

I never imagined I would make it out of Visalia (my hometown). When I was growing up I figured I would go to college in Fresno, move home, and live the rest of my life in Central California. So when I chose to move to Riverside and attend CBU, I was beginning to change all of those plans. However, I never would have guessed where I would go during my 4 years at CBU.

Sophomore year I accepted an internship for a program the FOCUS class at CBU uses called inFOCUS, or UPEERS. The site is used for networking as students are beginning to enroll at CBU. I accepted the internship not because I was interested in networking but because I needed money. Over the course of the semester, I worked with Tracy Ward in developing the new program at school. Every week we contacted the main office for the program in New York City. I was told at the beginning of the internship that at the end of the semester I would have to give a presentation to the CEO of the company. In turn they would pick ten of those who presented to live in New York for the summer to intern for the company. Of course I figured I would never get the internship in New York but decided to give it a try. A day after my presentation our contact from the main office called to let me know that I was one of the ten chosen to live and work in New York. Before I knew it I was packing my bags for a summer in the city. I was nervous because it was my first long term commitment away from my family and friends. I was moving to a city where I knew no one.

As soon as I arrived I was whisked away to our apartment which was in SoHo (south of Houston st.). I knew nothing about New York but heard it was a great neighborhood (I would later find out that David Bowie lived across the street and Heath Ledger lived around the corner). We lived on the top floor (no elevator) and had roof access which was very convenient for the 4th of July. My nine roommates moved in soon after. Most of them were from the South and spoke with awesome accents. I was quickly learning the tricks of the city. During the day I would go to work and during the night I would enjoy the city lights reading books on our rooftop. I began to attend a church and hung out with the people there who really made me feel at home. The more I lived in the city, the more I became independent. I had the chance to see three Broadway shows and see a number of famous people.

In the end, my trip to New York was awesome and I am so grateful I got to have such a great experience. Without being a student at Cal Baptist I doubt that I would have ever had this amazing experience.

Courtney Weatherly

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Southern California Attractions, Discounted! (By: Tim Cahill)

At CBU, Chris Hofschroer, is the director of the Campus Activities Board, aka CAB. He puts a lot of hard work into our school's activities, and this presents the students with awesome opportunities to go to events and participate in activities. Over the four years that I have been at CBU, I have taken advantage of most of the events that Chris and the CAB has provided us with. The great thing about these activities, is that they're always discounted for CBU students.
They have offered various events over my four years here. They've hosted and gone to concerts, designed our own Tom's Shoes, gone to professional sporting events, gone to broadway shows like Wicked and The Lion King at Pantageous Theater, and these are all at a fraction of the valued price. It is an awesome opportunity which our school presents us to get out and see the attractions in Southern California! Tickets go fast, so you have to be on top of it.
This past weekend, I got tickets to go to the LA Galaxy soccer game. They were playing the Colorado Rapids, and I love soccer. I'm not the biggest fan of MLS, but it's still soccer. But that's not all, Chris got us field level seats with all you can eat food, and we only had to pay 20 bucks (Oh, and that included the bus ride there and back!). My friends and I couldn't pass on this opportunity, so we snagged tickets and went to the game.
It was a blast! The Galaxy lost and David Beckham is still at AC Milan, but I did have 2 hot dogs, 3 nachos, and a couple of sodas. I'm usually a pretty healthy eater, so needless to say I didn't feel too good later that night, but it's so hard to say no when it's free! When we got back on the bus, I think everyone felt like they shouldn't have gone for that last hot dog. We took a poll on the bus, and the person who ate the most had 9 hot dogs, 2 nachos, and 5 sodas. Ridiculous!!
It was a memorable time. CBU offers so many good opportunities to fit whatever form of entertainment you enjoy. And even if you are unsure of what you like, you can try them out because they are at a discounted price.
Thanks Chris and the CAB, for all the hard work you put in so that we can have fun for cheap!

Tim Cahill

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Down In My Heart, Where? (By: Christina Fuentes)

Last night I attended an Easter musical portrayed through the eyes of Pilot’s wife, Claudia. She had dreams of Jesus and wanted to warn her husband not to have anything to do with him. And although she tried, Jesus was still crucified. After His resurrection, Claudia understood that Jesus had to die for the sins of man and was overwhelmed because Jesus is not only alive, but alive in her heart.

If Jesus is in my heart, I feel like I should look and feel and act differently. But I seem to get so caught up in my day-to-day schedule that I forget what that looks like. I’m only a mere human, but as I’ve said in my previous blogs, my only life’s purpose is to glorify God.

This Sunday I’m going to an Easter Sunrise Gathering with some close friends and family. We’re going to a park in Corona to worship and celebrate the resurrection of Christ. My friend Chris, who’s organizing this event said "I heard once that when people gather in the name of Jesus, they shouldn't be able to leave without the community around them knowing that God was there". So he's encouraging us to bring donations for the Corona-Norco Settlement House, where people are hurting and in need.

This, is what it looks like to have Jesus alive in your heart. I am at a loss for words when I remember what God did for me today. He sent His only son to die on the cross, for me. The least I can do, is live like Jesus is alive in my heart.

Christina Fuentes

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Crash (By: Christina Fuentes)

Tonight I attended CRASH- a discipleship meeting with other students here at CBU. We learned a practical way to share the gospel with unbelievers. Prior to the last half of our meeting, we watched a YouTube video of a comedian who was an atheist.

The comedian explained that after one of his shows, a businessman spoke with him; complimented him and gave him a pocket-sized Bible with a phone number and email address inside for follow up. The comedian was quite impressed by this because he knew that the businessman believed that heaven and hell existed. He knew he wanted to share this with the comedian because he didn’t want him to go to hell. Plain and simple, right? What was the comedian’s response to this, you ask?

How much do you have to hate someone not to share your faith? [Whoa.] The comedian gave this analogy: If you knew someone was about to be hit by a truck, wouldn’t you do everything in your power to save them? Even throw yourselves on them to get them out of the way?

You see, there’s no difference when we're faced with sharing our faith. We all have our opinions of what strategies do or do not work, but in reality, are we even sharing at all? God didn’t save us so we could keep salvation to ourselves. In Acts 20:24, Luke writes “I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”

I find myself 100% guilty, so don’t take this for some type of holy rollin’ trip. I’m challenging myself and I’m challenging you to share the gospel with others. We need to have compassion for the lost, develop relationships and reach out to them. I would hate to think that I had the opportunity to share with someone and didn’t because I felt awkward or exposed. Let's put aside meaningless conversation and get real with people about our faith. This kind of conversation is the most important one we could ever have.

Christina Fuentes

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We've got spirit yes we do...(By: Courtney Weatherly)

In High School I loved going to the football games. Maybe it was because I lived in a small town and there was not much to do, but nothing compared to a Friday night football game. Since the amount of enthusiasm for a school’s team can make or break a school’s community, I was worried about the level of spirit I would find at CBU. I knew CBU was a small Christian school so I figured fifteen people would show up at games praying over the other team. NOT TRUE.

CBU has a first class fan base. Regardless of the sport, students are out there wearing their CRAZIES shirt supporting our school and athletic program. I’m pretty sure we are the most crowd in our conference. I would venture to say the most popular sport is basketball. Before the season officially starts, the CAB office (Campus Activities Board) puts on “Midnight Madness” that shows off both men and women basketball teams, complete with a dunk contest. Our biggest rivalry is against Azusa Pacific. Whether the game is in Riverside or Azusa, students from both schools attend and get LOUD. The rivalry just seems to get more intense with every year.

Lately I’ve been going to baseball games. The baseball field was built only two years ago so its very new, and very nice. My friends and I usually go to 7-11 just around the corner from the school to pick up a slurpee and sunflower seeds for the game. Occasionally, we take a book or homework and sit in the sun enjoying the All-American sport. Baseball games are typically in the afternoon when the weather is close to... perfection.

Though I love going and supporting our school, I am not one to make up chants or cheers. I have come to notice that I yell the most stupid things at games. The other day at the baseball game I caught myself yelling “Run Fast!” As if they had never thought to do so. After a few attempts at trying to be an inspiration, I ended up going along with the crowd and stuck to clapping and woo-hooing.

I guess it’s just easier to support a school where athletic ability comes so naturally... Or maybe I’m just biased.

Courtney Weatherly

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