By Mike Woodard

“The Grace Project” was a production put on by the CSU Players and Lyric Theater March 1, 2 and 3.

The production used song, dance, acting and video to tell a captivating tale of grace. It tells the story of a young married couple, Ian and Amanda, who are struggling to stay together, due to their arguments and Ian’s drinking problem.

As everything plays out, there were short videos between the scenes of cast members telling true stories of how grace had been evident in their lives. The stories included abuse, bullying, attempted suicide, discouragement and others that were very relatable to the audience.
In the final scenes of the play, Ian, in a drunken state, murders his wife, Amanda. Then, in an ultimate act of grace, Amanda’s father tells the judge during Ian’s trial to give him the shortest sentence possible, because no amount of prison time would bring her back.

The other characters in the play spent their time in the Grace Notes Café, where they shared their opinions and definitions of what grace is. They gave many explanations, but it all boiled down to say that grace is something undeserved and free. And as Christians, we know that grace is the reason we are alive and because of God’s amazing grace, we will be able to spend eternity in His presence.

The play was an encouragement to everyone in attendance. But underneath the wonderful singing and moving videos, it was also a reminder of the beauty of the Gospel: the fact that we as humans are broken and dead in sin, but Jesus Christ reached down and brought us out of the darkness and into His light. He did it despite the way we sometimes disobey, turn our back and sometimes run. He showed grace.

Just as Ian was guilty and at the point of punishment, Amanda’s father stepped in and advocated on Ian’s behalf. We were guilty and headed for punishment, but Jesus, our Advocate, stepped in and saved us.

Spring Break will be here before you know it.

Charleston Southern’s break is scheduled for March 12-16. So you have plenty of time to make some plans before the break begins, but it will
be here sooner than you think.

We all hope to have a few good times and make some great memories during days off of school, but we also want to set aside some time to
rest and recharge before the second half of the semester gets under way. So the question is what are you doing for Spring Break?

In Charleston, there are a lot of things to do to avoid being bored during the break. Chucktown has beaches to visit, Folly Beach, Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island.

You can reference BucOnline’s article about the 10 best cheap things to do in Charleston for more information on staying away from
boredom.  You can find that article here: 10 Cheap Things

But on the other hand, Spring Break is also a time to enjoy doing, well, nothing. You could finish that book you’ve been trying to read,
catch up on episodes of your favorite TV show or even spend time with your family.

Spring Break is several days looked forward to all semester, so we took some time to ask how students would be spending it.

Zach Clements, a freshman, doesn’t “plan on doing anything.”

Dennis McHone said he planned on visiting his girlfriend and practicing soccer.

Taylor Bass said he was “going to Orlando to do a church plant.”

Despite the difference of plans between students, we can all agree that Spring Break is a great time away from school and an opportunity to
relax.