Showing posts with label Murfreesboro Tennessee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Murfreesboro Tennessee. Show all posts

Thursday, April 27, 2017

New Church Coming to Woodbury, Tennessee



By Brennan Cox
Motlow Buzz Reporter


WOODBURY, Tenn. – The Experience Community will be starting a new church branch in Woodbury, Tennessee, starting this fall with the hope of building a stronger community in Cannon County.

In early January, the head pastor for the Experience Community, Corey Trimble, announced that Josh Brooker will be taking up the role as head pastor of the future church branch in Woodbury. He will assume the new role in late Aug., 2017.

Brooker grew up up in Dalton, Georgia, then moved to Florida to study at South Eastern College.After graduating college, Brooker met his wife and moved to Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to become a teacher at Blackman high school. Brooker started attending and leading worship at the Experience Community at 521 Old Salem Road in 2009.

Josh Brooker (left)

“In 2013, I left teaching at Blackman and took on the role as executive pastor,” Brooker said. ”That kind of evolved into my becoming more of an associate pastor. I started covering for Corey. I did weddings, funerals, counseling people. For about four years that’s what I’ve been doing. And now here we are.”

The Experience Community church branch will be opening in the Cannon County Community church building located at 209 Murfreesboro Road in Woodbury.

“The building is going have a praise team, a children’s ministry, and hospitality ministry,” Brooker said. “The building can hold around 200 people. We’re going to start with two services on Sundays at 9 a.m. and a 11 a.m.”

The Experience Community has been growing rapidly since 2013 with a following of several thousand members. The Christian community is impacting Murfreesboro with its charity work and unique way of teaching and going through the Bible chapter by chapter. The new church branch plans to get involved with the community project called We Care Cannon, which helps provide school supplies,doctor check-ups and clothing for children and families who can’t afford them. The church will give out food boxes to needy families.


           
The new Woodbury campus will launch on Aug. 27 this year. For more information about the Experience Community Church, visit www.experiencecc.com

Thursday, April 6, 2017

A Nothing into Something

By Myia Jones
Motlow Buzz Reporter



            When I was a child, I was always into being famous. I couldn’t get enough of the media. Just seeing the cameras and the bright lights, along with the stars on television, has always amazed me. I loved the extravagant colors of wardrobes, and seeing people change their emotions, whether it was real life or a cartoon.
            My parents always kept me involved in sports like dance, tap dance, track, basketball, etc., but I knew that wasn’t for me -- at least the “real” athletic sports. As a child, I would beg my mom to put me on TV, or let me model, but her response would be, “This is just a scam!” I couldn’t seem to shake the feeling there is more out there in the world because I saw it on TV. Every birthday, I used to pray and wish that I would become “a somebody” by the time I was at the age of 16 to the age of 18.
            Growing up, I was bullied and doubted I could be anything. I never told my parents, so it took a hold on my heart. I was soon introduced to the performing arts, where I learned I could be myself. Once I got on stage, it was like I was a certified natural. I became addicted to the sound of “LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!”
            When social media came into play, it was like love at first sight. Social Media is what really helped me decide specifically what I wanted to do in life. I loved taking pictures and creating posts for others to relate to, as well as getting out certain feelings, or emotions, when I didn’t have anyone to talk to. It’s something about following your favorite celebrity, or keeping up with the latest fashion trends that had me.
            Fashion was never my thing. I couldn’t seem to realize what looked good on me, or what my actual style was. What really played the part in this was I had a low self-esteem from all the bullying, and at the time I didn’t know my worth. I would always wear jackets and blazers to hide my skin, and ponytails to hide my length, but there has always been a flame in me, that swore I would get it all together.
            Fast forwarding to the end of my 12th grade year, and I became more of a fashionista—without the funds. When I got to college, I exploded with the ability to not be afraid of me, and I had the funds this time. I began trying things I never thought I would, and wearing clothes I never thought I could.
            In the year of 2016, things became clear. I had just gotten a new job in downtown Nashville, and I felt as if it was exactly what I needed. I met a lot of designers, store owners; you name it. I’ve also met a lot of famous people like athletes, dancers, singers, etc. Coming from the small town of Murfreesboro, you rarely meet young people who own businesses, or a lot of black business owners. One of the most “awing” moments for me was to see people my age that are very successful. In a short time of experiencing all of this, I decided I wanted to create a blog about celebrities, gossip, and the latest fashion trends.    
            My blog, Jae’s Box, is just that. This article is intended for women and men ages 16 and up. This blog requires the viewers to subscribe where they will now be known as a “jewel,” hints the name “Jae’s Box,” as in a jewelry box. Most of my articles will be posted no later than the day the specific event will occur. We will have a comment section for each article where viewers can state their opinions, and we will have direct messenger for comments, findings or concerns. We plan on having multiple social medias in order for our subscribers to be able to take us with them anywhere.
            Now that I’ve introduced how I came about writing my blog and what my blog will be about, here are a few articles that will be featured:
           
Nike Will Be Introducing Hijabs for Their Muslim Athletes in Spring 2018
The Hijab, according to CNN Money, took 13 months to make and came into creation after Muslims athletes would complain about having to wear their traditional scarves while competing.
Nike also states the “Nike Pro Hijab” may have been in the making for more than a year. http://money.cnn.com/2017/03/07/news/nike-pro-hijab/

Katy Perry Says She Tried to “Pray The Gay Away”

Singer Katy Perry received an award from the Human Rights Campaign  in LA and openly opened up about her sexuality, deciding to thank the LGBT community.
In her speech, she spoke about growing up in a very strict and religious family. Katy mentions, she was very curious about her sexuality, but knew that it wasn’t something that would be accepted.
Katy claims she tried to “pray the gay away” at Christian camps, but she ended up finding her gift. http://www.katyperry.com/

Tomi Lahren Suspended for A Week
Tomi’s program, “Tomi,” will be off air for at least a week, according to The Hill, after what was reported as rising tensions between her and other Blaze employees.
Lahren reportedly upset her boss, Glen Beck, after her appearance on “The View”. Tomi claimed to be “pro-life” and even took shots at conservatives, calling them hypocrites according to the Daily Beast.
Glenn took it to his radio show on Monday to blast his employee.
On Monday Lahren took it to Twitter to try and do a little damage control, which prompted her boss responded back.    https://twitter.com/TomiLahren?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Tennessee Teen and Teacher Go Missing Together
Corpus Christi police said they have been unable to wrap their head around the fact that, a Tennessee school teacher and a student he’s accused of kidnapping were in the South Texas Gulf Coast city.
Tennessee authorities have been hunting for the 50-year-old Tad Cummins and the 15-year-old Elizabeth Thomas for two weeks.
Cummins has been added to Tennessee Most Wanted List after being suspected of kidnapping the teen. http://people.com/crime/elizabeth-thomas-missing-tad-cummins-romantic-emails-school/



Thursday, March 2, 2017

MTSU Rugby Opens Spring Semester With Dominating Win Over Memphis

By Andrew Isbell
Contributing Writer

            MEMPHIS -- The Middle Tennessee State rugby team traveled down to the University of Memphis on Feb. 4 and came out victorious by a score of 37-5.
The Moosemen started the game slow but steady and proved dominance over the ball. In the fall semester, the MTSU Moosemen ended with a record of 4-0 and picked up right where they left off. There had to be a change in leadership, and the team elected a new captain in Mason Hubbard. The first game of the semester, it was expected for the Moosemen to be a little rusty and out of shape, but that was not the case this time around.
            During the Christmas break, the team was held responsible for their conditioning by weekly sessions on three out of five days of the week. It proved to be the X-factor in this game as Memphis died down in the second half, and that is when MTSU exploited the weakness.  Twenty-two of the 37 points were scored in the second half.
            “You could tell in the second half who has been conditioning and who hasn’t,” starting lock and Motlow State Community College student Deshun Richardson said. “The field was a big problem because it was just hard dirt, and I couldn’t keep traction at all.”  
            The field was not in ideal condition. It was hard, and the little grass that was there did not soften the fall. I heard multiple players before the game make negative comments about the field. The field may not have been up to par, but the crowd made up for it. The crowd filled up the sideline and made themselves known. Everybody except for a select few were on the side of Memphis. MTSU did a great job at keeping the crowd out of the game and not letting them become a factor.
            Another factor that could have affected the Moosemen was that Head Coach Jody Hensley was not present. The assistant coaches took full responsibility and had the players executing the game plan to a tee. Despite all the possible factors that could have ruined the day for MTSU, they were not rattled.
            Naturally the game got physical. When asking Captain Mason Hubbard about it, he said, “I just kept making sure everyone kept their cool. When anything got chippy, I made sure to step in between it and calm down our players.”
            The one minor problem the Moosemen had were the points after tries. After scoring seven tries, MTSU only made one PAT.
            MTSU will take on Georgia Tech at 1 p.m. Feb. 11 in Murfreesboro. It will be a rematch of last semester when MTSU beat GT, 62-0. The Moosemen will look to stay undefeated and keep their aim on the division championship.

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MTSU Rugby Wins 24-12 in Physical Game with KSU

By Andrew Isbell
Contributing Writer

            KENNESAW, Ga. – The Middle Tennessee State University rugby team beat Kennesaw State University on Feb. 18 by a score of 24-12, surviving a physical match.
            MTSU and KSU are sitting numbers one and two in the South Independent Rugby Conference north standings. MTSU was 6-0 going into the game, and KSU was 4-1.
            This rivalry matchup had plenty of promise coming in, and the teams delivered. With physical and fast-paced play, the two did not disappoint the crowd.
            Big hit after big hit kept the tempo and excitement up and left everybody wanting more. Among the physical play, the number of penalties was held to a minimum, which led to an impressively clean game.
            When asked about how much defense the team had to play, former Motlow State Community College student and Prop Ben Bergeron said, “After they scored a lucky try off of a missed kick, we knew we couldn’t give up anymore points the rest of the way, so we tightened up defensively and shut them down.”
MTSU seems to always be a size disadvantage. KSU’s forward pack easily outweighed MTSU. In turn, the Moosemen had to be smart and use their conditioning to their advantage. 
             “As far as the team, we know we are more conditioned. We train all the time knowing that we aren’t the biggest, and it has helped us this year and in years past to excel” former Motlow State Community College student and Second Row Trevor Wingerter said.
            Defense was the theme for this occasion, although MTSU squeezed out four tries. Andy Pan (Inside Center), Anthony Godwin (Outside Center), Brennan Boykin (Flanker) and Eugene Elliot (Scrumhalf) were the try scorers. Ben Bergeron and Patrick Brouillette converted on two of the four tries.
            With this win, MTSU solidifies their number one spot in the North side of SIRC, and remain undefeated at 7-0. MTSU has one remaining game against Georgia Southern in two weeks, then will take on the SIRC playoffs in Orlando, Florida.
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Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Tennis and My Life

By Taylor Graalman

Tennis has been a great sport and asset in my life. It has blessed me with the chance to do something with myself. I have Played tennis from when I was a little child to high school and college.  

When I was around 5 years old, I was fortunate enough to play on a stadium court in front of a crowd of people. In the picture below, Wayne Bryan, father of the most winning doubles team in history, is asking me questions. I had been playing tennis for a few years at this point. This really was the spark of my love for tennis and how it has shaped my life.
Myself wearing a MTSU shirt next to Wayne Bryan

In the picture above, you see that I am currently wearing a Middle Tennessee State University shirt. After what happened, I was beginning to make connections. I was fortunate enough to become the first live mascot for this college. I was 8 years old at the time and was always around the guys on the team. They had an amazing season where they made it into the NCAA Tournament.
Tennis at Siegel Middle School
While at Siegel Middle School in Murfreesboro, I was fortunate to play at the number one spot out of six and I would meet lifelong friends. We had a stellar team, winning the team tournament all three years. We were one of the best teams to come through middle school in Rutherford County history.
Tennis Tournament for the USTA in Huntsville, Alabama 

During my time at Siegel High School, I played in many tournaments around the South traveling to such states as Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Alabama for the United States Tennis Association League. Like life, these tournaments had many ups and downs. The best part was always learning something new about myself good or bad. I won more matches than I lost, but the loses always stuck with me more. If anyone is interested in signing up for the USTA and play in tournaments, visit this. https://www.usta.com/

Playing for Siegel High School
While I was at Siegel, I was fortunate to play number one for all four years. I was coached by Jeff Martin, who also taught me how to be a better person on and off the court. Siegel and I were three-time state semifinalists. I made it to state competition as an individual four times and winning a quarterfinalist twice, and a semifinalist twice. Also, I was fortunate enough to be The Daily News Journal Male Tennis Player of the Year for three years in a row. It really gave me confidence and helped me accomplish what I did this summer.

Coaching in Connecticut
This summer, largely due to my connection as a mascot for MTSU, I was fortunate enough to get a job as a tennis pro in Connecticut. I taught many different people from young to old and made great connections. As a tennis pro, I worked six days a week from 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. It was not an easy job as most might think. I learned more this summer than I did my freshman year of college.

For anyone wanting to improve their game and to win more matches, key to greater improvement is to increase footwork and focus. When I was playing a match where I was losing 6-2, 5-2 that is what I did to create a comeback. I have seen plenty reach new heights by increasing these two simple things. Here is a link to improve your consistency. http://www.active.com/tennis/articles/10-steps-to-improve-your-consistency

That is just a few ways how tennis has helped to shape my life. Like a tennis match, life has many ups and downs. I have been fortunate and blessed to be able to live the life I want because of this sport. If you want to know more follow me on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/taylor.graalman and https://www.instagram.com/graalmanater/?hl=en