By Mark Persson

At large state universities, who you know can be beneficial. But in the small community at Wheaton College, associations are of the upmost importance. We prematurely equate who we know with who we are. So, being in a group with Jerry Root almost makes me feel like I am Jerry Root himself. I even found myself slapping other guys on the chest and departing with the word, “blessings”—a true Jerry clone. I figured if everyone loved him, I could get everyone to love me, but that only gets you so far. To really be like Jerry, you can’t follow Jerry, you’ve got to follow Jesus. But when it comes to the Root group, I have to remind myself to keep following these steps:

Step 1: Don’t walk up to Jerry while he is in the middle of a conversation with someone else just to get a slap on the chest—the five-finger brand of association. 

Step 2: “Be willing to associate with people of low position” (Romans 12:16). Jerry (or any other popular figure on campus) does not need one more person to talk to, but I know there are dozens of students who could use a real friend.

Step 3: Imitate Jerry; despise recognition. I spent a weekend with Jerry and two other professors in Boston. Throughout the trip, the other professors continually lauded Jerry for his ability to relate to people and boldly share the gospel. But Jerry cringed after each praise. Then, he would announce, “I’m just a screwed up guy.” That same weekend, he began speaking with a woman about C.S. Lewis. Yet, he never mentioned that he was one of the top Lewis scholars and had written several books about him. “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

Step 4: Rest assured in the affirmation that comes from God. When we were sinners and enemies of God, he died for us (Romans 5:8). What greater affirmation could be given to us?

Mark Persson is a 2^nd year student of the Root Group and has to remind himself daily that he is not Jerry or anyone else for that matter.

By Rebecca Queen

It takes eyes to See the person as Christ sees them and ears to Hear the person for all the things unsaid to truly listen to someone.  Stop trying to get the food out of your teeth while someone talks about their life.  Ask clarifying questions that really help you understand what they are saying.  Look them in the eyes as they talk.  Don’t ask what you think they want you to ask them.  That is lazy listening, and empathetic listening takes work!

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By Joe Timmer

If you are a Christian, you probably shouldn’t read this. 

Sometimes we treat the kingdom as a pedestal. This isn’t bad. It deserves honor, but the problem is that when we receive the gospel of the kingdom, we get up on the pedestal with it. Then, what happens, is that we see everyone else who hasn’t received the gospel of the kingdom, below us. “They need what we have.” This thought isn’t bad, but it can sometimes have a demonic spirit attached to it. 

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By Katie Albergotti & Alexa Thomas

There are two steps when stalking your favorite face of Evangelicalism. The first: Be cool.

This is critical. Even though you’ve read (all) their books (twice), biographies, and blog posts; even though they are the background picture on your computer; even though you quote them more than you quote Jesus; even though you’ve listened to their sermon or song more times than you can count  – never let anyone know it. Remaining cool and calm is the only way to not come across as obsessive, fanatical, and having too much time on your hands. If you fail step one, expect the following consequences to heap burning coals of shame on your head:

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By Sam Hayes

My friends tell me I’m the most cloud observant person they’ve ever met.  I will teach you how to observe clouds like me:

Don’t observe anything else.  Keep your head in the clouds at all times—if possible, in space.  The best cloud observers are space cadets, looking at the clouds from the opposite side as everyone else.  In all this keep the inside of your head cloudy, racing with thoughts of all kinds.  There ought to be a light fog drifting out your ears and nose at all times.  If anyone asks about this don’t pay attention to them—you wouldn’t have anyway.  You will know that people who don’t ask are cloud observers themselves.  They don’t ask because they don’t notice, or because they understand.

There are benefits and dangers to observing the clouds.  Danger—you may not notice what is happening on the ground.  Benefit—you will notice amazing things in the clouds.  There are infinite possibilities up there.  The shape of one cloud could be a thousand different things.  The trick is learning how to bring those clouds down to the ground so everyone else can see what you are talking about.

By Erik Most

There lies within the convoluted and dense jungles of our relational existence a species that exudes the sensuality of Aphrodite while fronting the hostility of Thor. Attractive and evasive. Intriguing and perilous. Majestic and seemingly unattainable. We’ve all had our encounters. Some brief, some extended. Some creepy…I mean, well, all creepy. Yet with careful plotting, a sound understanding of the animal kingdom, and some old fashioned, innate testicular fortitude, one can enjoy the pleasures of an hour-long encounter with the Carressticus Flirtuitous Affectionious, better known as the CFA. 

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First, realize that you will be utterly dependent on complete strangers very quickly. And that you are a lot more independent than you thought. Get over the fact that you are being taken care of all the time. I said stop resisting it. Stop! Dependent yet? Ok good. Now listen. Ask questions. Smile. It helps in all transitions; you may not be able to control anything else around you but you can at least smile about it. Cut your hair! Spend time with children. Hug them. Carry them. Love them. Make them smile and they will return the favor on days when you can’t muster one of your own. Don’t be a pacifist when it comes to parasites. Throw out bad models of development, even if you don’t have any new ones. It’s ok. Read the gospels. Practice gratitude. Go to church even if it drives you crazy. Don’t wait two weeks to mention to your host mom that your head is itching. It is lice. And yes, there are now 200 of them living on your head. Enjoy mangos. Cry. Receive love. Thank God for that love. Laugh. Cry some more. Leave knowing the place you are going back to won’t be the only place you belong anymore. 

Pray for faith. And don’t be surprised when God answers. Hope. 

Finally realize HNGR was never something to survive but a messy and beautiful gift that was going to change you forever. Receive it. 

By Erica Nelleson

Pray. Have friends who know and friends who don’t – spend time with both. Discover new things that make you come alive, even if its only for a moment. Read the Bible. Not just for a minute or two. Soak it in. Pray that God would make His Gospel your joy. Rejoice with friends, even if it’s hard. Depression makes you tired. More tired than you ever thought you could be. Fight it. Find what inspires you, and focus on that as you wake up each day. Surrender your incapacities. Recognize that you can’t make depression go away, but praise God that He can and ask Him to.

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Step One: Self-rationalization. The key is self-rationalization. If you can convince yourself that there must be some kind of regional American cultural barrier anesthetizing the ladies from your usually potent Southern charm, then go with it.

Step Two: Quixotic hope. You must have unrealistic dreams of future dating scenes. Convince yourself that surely there will be another place in your future where approximately 3,000 typically attractive if not flat out gorgeous, smart, Christian women surround you daily, just begging for their Tim Keller/Ryan Gosling Hybrid in Shining Armor to sweep them off their Chaco-clad feet. 

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Before breaking down the important steps towards humility, it is important to affirm something about well-groomed dreadlocks and the RA position at Wheaton College: when put together, these two status symbols do indeed make underclassmen men and women fawn, admire, flock, and stare.  Before any words are spoken, little ears are listening.  Before any action is committed, spiritual maturity is attributed.  Now the steps towards being humble while like this…  

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First off, immediately rid yourself of the notion that material comfort is something worth working for. This is perhaps the most pathetic decision-maker ever. If you are able to erase from your mind any motivation toward greater wealth or status, you are set on the right trajectory to discovering what TRULY motivates you. While we’re at it, let’s remove any desire for comfort whatsoever too. Choosing comfort more times than not means that you’re succumbing to normalcy. And normalcy is material-minded living.

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Author Michael Lewis once claimed that his unofficial goal for writing Liar’s Poker was to convince some bright kid at Ohio State University who really wanted to be an oceanographer to spurn the offer from Goldman Sachs, and set out to sea.

So, I am headed out to sea. It turns out I don’t like investment banking. And I just spurned the offer from Credit Suisse in NYC. Stupid? Probably. Integrity? Dear God, I hope so. It’s strange waking up on Tuesday with an $80,000 annual salary and then waking up on Wednesday with maybe (MAYBE) a $20,000 annual salary. Money doesn’t buy you happiness? Again, Dear God I hope it doesn’t. 

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Bite your tongue, a lot. Find conservatives that you can have friendly spars with. Never hate someone because they don’t agree with you. Be open to have your own opinions changed. Talk with respect. Be friends with all political affiliations, let’s not be boxy. Be disappointed that people outside of Wheaton and within Wheaton equate Christianity with the Republican right. Scream about stewardship of the environment. Have hard conversations about abortion, LGBT rights, and social justice. Remind people often that the United States is a NOT Christian nation. Remember that God gave us a choice and we cannot take choice away from others. Do not tear your hair out when people fail to understand that feminism is defined as ‘The advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men,’ not whatever they think it is/FOX defines it as. Just don’t watch FOX at all, you always end up angrier than when you started. Surround yourself with people who understand your heart. Don’t be afraid to challenge people on views that they have never challenged themselves. Speak for those unable or afraid to speak for themselves. Show that Jesus is the source of your Liberal passion. Speak against homophobia. Have political debates with your roommate’s parents, but don’t tell your roommate before. Don’t transfer when you realize that the possible dating matches for you are severely diminished if we judged only by political parties. Listen. 

By Rachel Doubek