God inspired me to enter teaching before I knew Him. Initially, I decided to follow my father’s footsteps and enter corporate America. However, halfway through my MBA program, I realized I could get paid for doing what I loved: learning, teaching what I’d learned, and writing. Even though I may not be as bright as most professors, […]
“You won’t believe how God just answered our prayers!” I sent this message to our Faculty Commons leaders after our monthly gathering where we pray for our campus and students. That morning after reading and reflecting on Psalm 3:3, “But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my […]
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, […]
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 […]
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue; And those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21 As an educator of 20+ years, I have experienced the impact of words on both myself and my students. Although I may not have always been cognizant of this impact, I was aware enough […]
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 […]
Many of us on campus feel the push and pull of how to engage with this generation of students. As followers of Christ, it is not always clear how to position ourselves within a campus culture that is prone to demonizing us. We are trying to figure out what it means to share our […]
This past year I’ve been reminded that Christ is the vine, and I am just a branch. I can do nothing apart from him. So, as I make it my focus to be a Christian professor, God is teaching me that only if I stay connected to him—really hidden in him—will I be able to […]
Some years ago, I was laser-focused on two things: raising my young children and getting promoted to the next rung on the academic ladder. Although I was a believer, I had never considered the university as my mission field. Fortunately, God pulled back the curtain and let me see what He was doing, despite me. […]
Academic conferences. Man… I hate those things. I’ve been told that conferences are places for networking to advance my career. I never could bring myself to network with this intent – it felt disingenuous and exhausting. Time after time, I felt that I failed with every attempt. However, an academic conference I attended this summer […]
