Recently, my sister told me she spoke with someone who was considering some of the different Christian colleges in California. As a teacher, I too, often have the opportunity to speak with christian teenagers about options for their futures. Usually, I don’t like to come on too strong, and fully pitch my alumni, The Master’s College, because naturally, I understand that young adults don’t like feeling as if they’re being told what to do or that an adult is trying to push some sort of “agenda” on them. But the more I think about it, the more I have to ask myself, “Who am I kidding?” I totally do have an agenda, and here’s why, I LOVED the Master’s College. I’m tired of pretending I didn’t because other people resent John MacArthur (the president of the college) and his unwavering, unapologetic stance on the Bible. I’m tired of sheepishly defending the fact that chapel attendance was required, and that there was a curfew for freshmen. The reality is that going to The Master’s College changed my entire life, and influenced me to love and serve the Lord, and certainly, there can be no shame in that!
So I decided to blog about some of the reasons the college is so awesome, and why you should go there. (No pressure Annie from church)
Here’s a few bullet points:
* Note: This is going to be long, and I don’t expect most of you guys (actually anyone) to read it, but please feel free to add your own TMC testimonial to my comments if you feel inclined to do so (that is if they’re positive).
Friends: First of all, I have to say that the friends I made in college are still my friends today, and here’s why. We had/have a common bond in Christ. Is every one of the 900 students attending there a surefire “born again,” certainly not, but for the most part, the people I met really and truly loved the Lord. I was so inspired to meet other 18 year olds that had claimed Christianity as their own individual faith ( not just the teachings taught them by their parents) and they were so passionate about it. They were young men and women striving to grow in their faith and be challenged in their studies, both academic and theological. Not only that, but, I’ve never had so much (dare I say) FUN, in my life. People assume that christians are boring, humorless stick-in-the muds, but the friends I made at Masters were an absolute blast in every way. I will forever cherish my dorm-room memories there; the all-nighters, the basketball games, the random pranks, and the camaraderie I felt walking through that campus.
Traveling/Ministry Opportunities: During my time at the Master’s college, I was able to spend almost 8 weeks in Africa - traveling from Kenya to Uganda and back. Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime, eye-opening experience! My husband was able to spend 8 weeks in Khazakstan, and an entire semester in Israel. In addition to their world wide outreach opportunities, they have an emphasis on local missions too. While I was there, I slept at a homeless shelter in Venice Beach, visited numerous local churches, and I heard literally hundreds of amazing sermons from speakers all over the country, and actually, from all across the globe.
The S’s - Small/Safe/Secure.... I felt completely accepted, welcomed, loved, secure, and at ease there from day #1. I also felt very safe, granted this was a decade ago, and I’m sure things may be different now, but when I was there, I didn’t have to add worrying about theft, crime, and scary, drunk frat boys to my worries about my upcoming finals. Now that I am a mother of 4 daughters, I definitely think that’s something relevant to consider.
Academics/The Education Department: I will acknowledge that there are certain majors and fields of study that may not be offered at TMC. But if you’re interested in becoming a teacher, TMC has an amazing reputation in their community for training and credentialing both elementary and secondary teachers. My professors were hands on, inspiring, and personally involved in the success and failures of their students. I loved ALL of them, and I felt completely equipped when I entered the work force. Getting my credential through the college was one of the smartest things I could have done.
The Marriage Factor: I understand that there is somewhat of a stigma about the TMC being some sort of “marrying” school, and I know that actually deters some people from wanting to go there. But here are the facts regarding marriage, God has pre-ordained who you will marry and when that marriage will take place, so it doesn’t really matter where you go to school or what age you think sounds like the ideal marrying age. Secondly, I did happen to meet my husband there, but of my 4 best friends from the college, only one other girl also met her hubby there. So that’s 2 out of 5. Not only that, but I know a ton of people that did not get married to someone they met there, or while attending there. In defense of those of us who did get married young, and who did find our spouses there: the key element to a successful marriage is having the same biblical foundation in Christ. To be honest, finding a godly person to marry can be very much a challenge in today’s world. If you don’t find someone at church, where better than a college where you tend to be brushing shoulders with people who are like minded?
The Other Schools: There’s so much I could say about Westmont, Azusa, Point Loma, and Biola that would make me sound elitist, and condescending regarding their standards, their reputations, their professors, their agendas, and their doctrine. I’ll leave it at that.
Okay, so there’s so much more I could say, so many scrapbook pictures I could force you to look at, but I’ll spare you. I totally get that each person needs to find the right school for themselves to attend, but I figured, I had to proclaim the truth, and if not shout from the roof tops, at least post a blog entry on the fact that I really loved my college. It changed my life, and I believe God is continuing to use that school and the people that work there to light fires for His word and for His work.
And if you decide to go to Azusa, I won’t hold it against you, after all that wouldn’t be very “Masters” of me, now would it?
Last Saturday I turned on the TV and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was on. The girls were all in the living room, and they asked, "What's this movie about?" I was looking at the guide thinking about what to watch.... "Oh it's about these 2 robbers, thieves actually...."
