Covid was the worst thing and the best thing to happen to our faculty group. It nearly killed our in-person groups, but gave rise to life-changing virtual groups. Over the past four years since Covid, being part of a virtual group with other Christian faculty has profoundly impacted my work life, prayer life, and my […]
As a new professor I was committed to living out my life as a follower of Jesus, but I knew that doing so in community was key. I knew several Christian professors, but somehow my efforts to summon a sizable group gathering was elusive. I felt alone. Then one morning it hit me – I needed […]
A friend loves at all times,and a brother is born for a time of adversity. – Proverbs 17:17 In Spring 2021, I was diagnosed with cancer. I was serving as interim department co-chair at this time while our department chair was on sabbatical. This was during the pandemic, and I was working from home. Soon, […]
In 2004 I took a leap of faith and left behind a 20+ year corporate career and chose to join the academy as a Computer Science and Engineering faculty member. One of the first challenges, aside from a very different day-to-day workflow, was finding those who shared my faith in a very secular workplace. Finally, […]
Just before 5pm on a Thursday, I tried to be inconspicuous as I joined the small cluster of people waiting in a hallway outside a classroom. My stomach was a little jumpy and my hands not quite dry; it had taken me four years to get to this point, and now that it was here, […]
When I started as a professor ten years ago, I wondered how to go public with my faith. My own time as a university student and follower of Jesus had been a great journey of discovery: of life, of growing up, of traveling, of reflection, of learning…and all of this with Jesus himself and many […]
Criminal justice professor draws colleagues into Christian community and service After years of feeling alone as a Christian professor on campus, Dr. Laurie Kubicek assembled a supportive group of believing faculty and staff. In the spring of 2015, they launched the Christian Faculty and Staff Network at California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State). Colleagues describe […]
Over the years, perhaps what I’ve appreciated most about the Missional Moments is hearing what God is doing on other campuses and gleaning ideas from other faculty. In February 2020, David Janzen from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo shared a Missional Moment about his “Life Lunches” — connecting weekly with students to talk about anything except classwork. I loved […]
In 2018, a dear colleague and I accompanied a group of nine students on a three-week visit to N’Zérékoré in the West African country of Guinea. This unforgettable experience, which included a week’s prior preparation and a final week of debriefing on campus, was part of a program that my university calls Mercer on Mission […]
Early each Wednesday morning, I jump on a Zoom call with a small group of incredible women from my campus. We spend 30-60 minutes sharing life’s stories and praying for each other. When we started this group, a Zoom prayer gathering made necessary by the pandemic, I would not have guessed we would still be […]
