Recently I stumbled upon Max Lucado’s enchanting children’s story, “You Are Mine.” It’s a tale of little wooden people who obsess over collecting the biggest empty boxes and balls, and the madness that ensues. One wooden person, however, finds solace and identity in the embrace of his wood-maker. I recall the early days of my […]
My daughter’s name, Alaina, means “bright shining light.” It fits her. Consequently, when she was little, I spent my time at many church music shows. As she grew, she went from being on the floor in front to being further back, and finally on the last row on the riser. I could celebrate the journey, […]
Let me start by admitting that I was once that lost student, pursuing all the worldliness of college life and running from true freedom and joy found in Christ. I doubt my professors then would have guessed that their sleepy, always-forgetting-something student would be in their position one day. I was an adjunct lecturer teaching […]
After reading A Grander Story: An Invitation to Christian Professors by Rick Hove and Heather Holleman in a Faculty Commons small group Bible study, I was inspired to integrate my research with my faith rather than keeping my work and faith neatly compartmentalized into separate boxes.. As a music professor, I recorded an album entitled Solace specifically focused […]
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, […]
Have you ever questioned why you work in academia? I have. In a particularly challenging part of the 2023-2024 academic year, I questioned my place in academia. I confided in a sister in Christ and shared that ‘endless emails and zoom calls’ certainly couldn’t be my calling. Her simple response gave me pause. She said, […]
Artificial Intelligence is discussed everywhere these days; it has both its “boosters” and its “doomers.” Some AI boosters dream of a trans-human utopia that populates the universe. AI doomers, on the other hand, fear that AI could instead annihilate humanity. A major headline in the Financial Times recently declared, “We must slow down the race to God-like […]
I count Fall 2021 as my second-worst semester in 23 years of tenure-stream teaching. A week before classes started, I rapidly assembled syllabi for two sections of ENGL 3950: Literature for Children, my regular offering to education majors. I’d stretched myself by ordering several books I’d never read. I hastily found an article covering feminist versions […]
Should my Christian faith be a factor in which research projects I choose? I was recently interviewed by a media outlet that was interested in covering one of my published papers in their magazine. During the interview, I had to discuss my research interests and provide an overview of my published research portfolio. A light […]
We are teaching in tough times. In our state, many of the schools in our university system are still reeling from the budget decreases that accompanied enrollment drops during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. My university, one with a Predominantly Black Institution (PBI) designation, was hit especially hard, suffering a 17% decline in enrollment. […]
