It’s the best part of the day. Sit down, grab your favorite soda, reach for the remote to turn on the TV, and get ready because you are about to hear the opening measures of your favorite iconic theme song. When I was a young kid, I would create new episode plotlines for my favorite Disney Channel shows before I would fall asleep. Some of my favorite shows were Hannah Montana and Sonny with a Chance. A crossover episode between these shows would not only be hilarious but also full of great music and heartwarming friendships. I mean, just imagine it. How cool would a mashup of their title soundtracks sound? The episode could be called, “Here Comes the Sonny (and Hannah).” It starts with Sonny and the randoms being told Hannah Montana is the guest star on this week’s episode of “So Random.” Of course, the randoms are elated and Chad Dylan Cooper couldn’t be more jealous of the rival show getting a huge star like Hannah Montana. Chad decides to get a different guest star for his show, Mackenzie Falls, to outshine Hannah Montana. Some of the Mackenzie Falls co-stars joke that the only celebrities who are bigger than Hannah are Zac Efron and Jesse McCarthy. This is much to Chad’s chagrin because he despises Zac Efron and Jesse McCarthy is busy. Therefore, he sets out in search of big stars to guest star on his show. Meanwhile, Hannah is preparing to come out to Hollywood from Malibu. She is traveling with Lily, Oliver, and Billy Ray; while Jackson stays at home. Jackson is preparing to host a party at the Staurt’s home although Rico is determined to foil his plans. Hannah and Billy Ray are practicing their comedy skills during their travel. Lily and Oliver are not amused by the father/daughter’s subpar hillbilly “dad jokes.” However, Lily and Oliver don't want to tell Miley she is not funny because Miley's mom always loved comedy. Lily and Oliver start giving a ton of subtitle tips to improve their comedic timing and jokes that they think will be relevant for the young audience. It’s almost showtime, Sonny the random finally gets to meet Hannah Montana. They immediately hit it off and start preparing for the show. The randoms eventually realize that Hannah isn’t very funny, so they decide to make Hannah the comedic sidekick prop of the skits who has minimal speaking lines. They also start learning the song that Hannah and Sonny will sing at the end, called, "Best of Friends." Miley tells Sonny how much being on this show means for her, and how much her late mom loved humor, so she wants to make her proud. Sonny becomes touched by Miley's words and so she decides to put Sonny in more skits. Sonny decides to put Miley in a Check-it-out girls skit, a skit about fighting bumble bees, a skit about a girl afraid of heights who operates a bungee jumping service, and another skit about Hannah Montana starting at a normal high school. It’s showtime and the crowd is dying of laughter. Hannah is so funny. Sonny and Hannah’s song is everyone’s favorite. However, the Mackenzie Falls cast looks smug at the after-party. Chad comes over to tell the random cast that next week the Jonas brothers are guest starring on Mackenzie Falls. While Chad is celebrating, Hannah assures the Random cast that the Jonas brothers are in the UK next week on their tour so Chad is lying. That's how the show would end.

I felt the pit in my stomach grow and embarrassment's red color paint my face as I opened up my wallet to discover my cash supply was severely depleted. Who was this greedy thief that stole all of my money? Well, it was the person in the mirror. We have all wondered how in the world we could have mismanaged our finances so wrongly that we backed ourselves into this awkward situation. When this situation happened, I had to either go without certain things or rely on the resources of others. So, if I wanted to avoid this situation altogether, and the unnecessary embarrassment and stress it brings, I needed to learn how to responsibly steward my finances. Through observation, I found two traits of people who steward their finances well include: they utilize practical tools to help budget money and they understand why a budget is important. Upon research and through conversations with others, it appears that some favorite ways to make optimal use of finances included such things as scheduling a monthly time to create a budget. They utilize Dave Ramsey’s money envelope tool and Financial Peace Universities methods and practices. There are also many budgeting apps available to download on phones and computers (such as “Y.N.A.B. (you need a budget)”). I recently started using some of these methods and I have already noticed a big difference in the efficiency and longevity of my budget. Everyone needs a budget, especially students. I believe that a key aspect of being a successful student lies partly in how one manages their finances. I have noticed this in my own life. Whenever I mismanage my finances, I find that my stress and anxiety rises. I feel less prepared. This, in turn, eventually affects my performance and success in schoolwork. In this scenario, my bad school performance disrespected the school, the teachers, my time, and the very budget I was trying to guard. In conclusion, having a budget is very important. I have noticed in my own life that if I want to prevent a lot of stress and unnecessary anxiety, I need a budget. I have to take responsibility for my spending habits to make practical smart decisions about my finances. I believe all students should research and try budgeting because a bad budget is not only bad for the wallet but it can also affect school performance and mental clarity. I know I will keep researching to better utilize my budget. I have already said it but I will say it again, everyone needs a budget.

What song has the most important message to me? That is a difficult question. I could say any song about world peace, harmony, or spirituality and my answer would probably be true. However, as I am writing this I think about the quote from Mother Teresa, “…And we will love naturally, we will try to do something. First in our own home, next door neighbor in the country we live, in the whole world.” This makes me think that a song about loving and ministering to one’s own family could be the most important message, as this could be the catalyst for world-wide change and love. When thinking through this lens I am reminded of the song, “Drive” by Alan Jackson. This song reminds me of an idealistic, almost perfect childhood. Hearing about father’s being involved in their children lives and sharing such an affectionate, yet simple memory speaks volumes about the fictional father’s character. If people enacted the same stillness, love for family, joy, and “presentness” in the moment as the people in this song present. I believe that the world would be a better place if people embraced these qualities (within their own specific cultural context). This generation has been deemed the “Fatherless generation,” so may this song model fathering to us.

The amount of help needed in the world can seem overwhelming at times. It is easy to become depressed by the world’s problems and be lulled into complacency and inaction. I do not believe there is anything sadder in this life than watching bad things happen and feeling utterly helpless to act. I will never forget watching the movie, The Blind Side, and finally realizing the truth about the devastating effect that poverty, absentee parents, and drugs/alcohol can have on children as they grow up. At this moment, I knew I wanted to do something about this issue. I could not stand the thought that somewhere in my own community another child exactly like me was being hurt and I was not doing anything to help. These people needed their physical, emotional, and spiritual needs met. However, I was faced with a question “How can I help?”   This prompted me to become more involved in my church. My church, Hope House, has a passion and a mission to help the helpless. So, I started to volunteer in every possible way I could.   Hope House partnered with a non-profit called Hope for Women, that mentored poverty-stricken women who battled addiction. My sister and I started babysitting for foster families that needed childcare. I went to our counties courthouse to watch as friends were adopted.  My family and I started volunteering at the weekly food serve at Hope House. I began working at a non-profit, The Willow Project, that services foster and low-income children by giving them a safe and therapeutic space to be creative. My friend group helped with school and special event serve projects. I also actively mentored a small group of middle school girls where we participated and led a community serve day/book drive at our counties DHR building to construct a reading nook for children going through crisis situations.   Through these ministries, I talked to people and learned their stories. I listened to their emotional trauma, heartbreak, and greatest life joys. Many of these people had never encountered anyone who stopped for long enough to really listen to them. This showed them that they were really cared for by many people. Given some stories were hard to hear and I wished I had not heard them, but hearing these stories changed me for the better. I learned that a need all people have is to be truly cared for; a need as real as any physical one.   However, the people needed more. The people needed their physical and emotional needs met, but more than anything they needed God. They needed their spiritual needs met too. They needed to know that they are loved unconditionally and have access to unlimited help 24/7 through prayer. It was not about me or anyone else who could help them, because our resources were finite; but with God they could find more help than they ever needed. Therefore, I am wanting to obtain a bachelor degree in ministry leadership, so that I can tell people about God and how he can be their helper.