{"id":3508,"date":"2021-08-10T20:29:20","date_gmt":"2021-08-11T02:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/?p=3508"},"modified":"2021-08-10T20:29:20","modified_gmt":"2021-08-11T02:29:20","slug":"a-shared-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/a-shared-spirit\/","title":{"rendered":"A Shared Spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether on the football field or in the computer lab, OBU senior Chris Mehn lives out his faith through serving others.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

At first glance, computer science and football don\u2019t seem to have a lot in common. In fact, many would think the two are about as far apart as one could get on the spectrum of academic and athletic endeavors.<\/p>\n

But if you look at it through the eyes of OBU senior Chris Mehn, football and computer science aren\u2019t as diametrically opposed as it might appear. The way he sees it, they both share the same common, Christian spirit that he himself strives to personify every day \u2013 that of helping others.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cMy goal in life is to serve. That\u2019s what being a Christian is all about, reaching out and helping others in any way you can.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Realizing Potential<\/span><\/h3>\n

A native of the Houston, Texas, area, Mehn knew that football would be a major part of his collegiate path. For him, it was just about finding the right school and a football program with potential waiting to be realized.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s what he found at OBU.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did have other offers, but there was just something about OBU that stood out for me,\u201d he said. \u201cI felt the program had the most potential, and on top of that it was a place where I could deepen my faith.\u201d<\/p>\n

And it was when he first arrived that he experienced firsthand the sense of family, faith and focus on helping others within the community and culture. As a freshman Bison football player, he was paired with an upperclassman player who served as a peer mentor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Enter, Isaiah Mallory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As far as Mehn was concerned, Mallory was the \u201cit\u201d guy. He helped guide Mehn in his first few years \u2013 in the weight room, in the classroom, in his walk with Christ. And Mehn knew that, one day, he wanted to be the kind of mentor to someone else that Mallory was to him.<\/p>\n

A Different Kind of Win<\/span><\/h3>\n

Early in his OBU experience, Mehn also discovered that winning wasn\u2019t limited to the football field. As any computer science major can attest, few academic areas of study are more rigorous or challenging. For him, it was about embracing that challenge.<\/p>\n

When he was in the eighth grade, Mehn took part in a program that evaluated students\u2019 academic strengths and weaknesses and helped determine areas of study for which they might be best suited. He had always been drawn to computers, and his middle school evaluation confirmed that it was a good fit.<\/p>\n

The challenge was on.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s definitely a lot of work,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve always liked working with computers. It can be difficult but the challenge is intriguing to me. I love being able to do coding and create something from scratch that in the end has the ability to solve a problem. Every time I complete a code, I consider that a big win.\u201d<\/p>\n

An Exercise in Selflessness<\/span><\/h3>\n

Mehn\u2019s experience as a football player and a computer science major represent a compelling intersection of faith, selflessness and the spirit of helping others.<\/p>\n

As a running back on the Bison football team, he cherishes the way players go out into the Shawnee community to provide help and youth mentoring. One of the programs they offer, Bison Buddies, pairs players with elementary school students.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really feel blessed to be able to take part in that,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s all about bringing people together and helping each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a student in the computer science program, he appreciates the education and preparation he\u2019s gaining that enables him to help others resolve technical issues and problems they encounter with their computers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt feels good to be able to help people work through problems they\u2019re having. I like being that guy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In fact, Mehn has always had selflessness in his heart. In his hometown of Houston, he grew up spending time volunteering at local rescue centers and food banks. For him, it\u2019s simply part of being a Christian.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy goal in life is to serve,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s what being a Christian is all about, reaching out and helping others in any way you can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winning at the Game of Life<\/span><\/h3>\n

As he envisions life after OBU, Mehn knows that the spirit of selflessness will always be a part of whatever it is he\u2019s doing. It might be professional football, an endeavor he\u2019s definitely interested in pursuing. It might be raising a family and a career in computer science, putting his programming and coding skills to work. He even hopes to one day launch a youth academy offering programs in football and soccer, another sport he grew up playing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe God gave everyone special gifts for a reason,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve learned so much in my time at OBU about what it means to be a Christian, it\u2019s been nothing short of amazing. Moving ahead, I just want to be the best I can possibly be, no matter what I\u2019m doing. I want to help younger guys on the football team in the same way Isaiah helped me. I want to continue giving back to our community. And I want to use my knowledge and skills in computer science to be a resource for others.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether on the football field or in the computer lab, OBU senior Chris Mehn lives out his faith through serving others. At first glance, computer science and football don\u2019t seem to have a lot in common. In fact, many would think the two are about as far apart as one could get on the spectrum […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3539,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":""},"categories":[224,221],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ChrisMehn_MAGSPR21.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BMz3-UA","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3508"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3508"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3509,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3508\/revisions\/3509"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3539"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}