One of the wonderful things about serving on the Alumni Board is the opportunity to have my eyes opened to so many things. We are often quick to judge BYU. We are unhappy because our kids didn't get in. We are angry because BYU asks us to donate when, after all, we are paying tuition (Let's face it, tuition pays for a very small percentage of your student's education. It's like every student who attends BYU gets an almost full-ride scholarship from the church, yet we are so annoyed that the university calls once or twice a year and asks us for a small donation). Some think Bronco Mendenhall should lose his job because BYU lost to Utah. Others are upset because BYUTV didn't broadcast all of Education Week. It goes on and on. We have so little vision about the goals and purposes of BYU. And sometimes we forget who is really running the university. Every time President Samuelson speaks to the board he reminds us that he takes his orders from a living Prophet of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he's not likely to question him.
One of the really interesting presentations we heard last week was from Scott Swofford, who is the content manager for BYUTV. He shared a few emails he had received containing scathing criticism about how programming has changed and suggesting that he might be headed straight for He - -. Not everyone understands that blessing the lives of the Latter-day Saints is only one of the purposes of BYUTV. It's broader purpose is to attract non-member viewers from around the world, thus opening doors for missionary work. (It happens with some frequency). As brother Swofford mentioned, when non-members click onto BYUTV and it is a man wearing a suit with a lei around his neck, they are most likely going to continue channel surfing. However, if they tune in and it is a guy riding a Harley around to historical sights it might just pique their curiosity. Check out "American Ride". If you pay attention you'll notice that every episode ends with the message that this little part of our history was in preparation for the restoration of the gospel.
The more I know about BYU the more I love it. All of the very best things in my life were put into place while I was a student there. It has blessed the lives of all our children, and now our grandchildren are preparing and praying for the opportunity to go there. I'm grateful to be able to give back in a small way. Go Cougars!
3 comments:
I love this post Judy! I also hear lots of criticism about BYU, but I don't listen to it. My husband was able to get his PhD from BYU, and it was a wonderful experience for him. He taught Astronomy at the nearby Utah Valley University in Orem, but he always commented that while there were many good people at UVU, the spirit of the school was so different. Every day we thanked Heavenly Father for the opportunity he had to get his degree at BYU, and to be around so many people who share the same values as we do.
About 8 months after moving to Missouri from Utah, we were looking at videos on YouTube, and there was one from the group Vocal Point from BYU. They sang, "Jump, Jive, and Wail". It was a great music video, and we watched it over and over again. We were so excited to see so many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in one video. It is very different here in St. Joseph. I thought the transition from Utah to here would not be hard because I had lived in Chicago for so long. Boy, was I wrong.
We now live in a place that provides DirectTV for us, and I can not tell you what a BLESSING it is to be able to turn on BYUTV. We love it! I don't have a lot of time to watch, but I think American Ride looks fascinating. I have watched The Food Nanny and loved it. One thing you can always count on with BYUTV- the shows will be quality programs that your kids can watch too.
BYU has been the giver of so many blessings to our family. We LOVE BYU and love that you do too. You get it.
I also think some of the best things about my life have come from the experience I had at BYU. I'll just mention one for fun...my man!
We have been enjoying BYUTV for the last few months as well. Travis is constantly recording this program or that to watch later. It doesn't happen all too often that he gets around to watching them but they all seem very interesting. And YAY for BYU football. Now, if we could just win all the rest of our games!
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