During the COVID lockdown of 2020, I joined a Faculty Commons online book group for women. We gathered from across the U.S., and even as far away as Florence, Italy, to read and discuss Sent by Heather and Ashley Holleman. What began as a simple book discussion grew into something deeper: fellowship, spiritual sharpening, and friendships. We […]
What does one do on a Saturday in the dead of winter in snowy Michigan? Yes, I know. Not many options. I decided to join a half-day Zoom call to participate virtually in an A Common Call conference sponsored by Faculty Commons. I didn’t expect my decision that February of 2021 would lead to so […]
When I earned my terminal degree, I envisioned returning to my Christian alma mater to spend my career in faith-based education. That was the plan—or so I thought. After a few years in Christian higher education, I felt an unmistakable nudge from God, not just calling me away, but pushing me out of that familiar […]
Almost 15 years ago the Christian student groups here at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia were holding a “Jesus Week” and wanted a panel of Christian professors to answer any faith-related questions that students might have. This sounded scary — Christianity has generally been viewed very critically by faculty and students here in Canada. […]
It was the end of my first lecture and a student in the back left-hand corner of the auditorium raised their hand to ask the third, and final, question. After being called on, he voiced rather loudly, “So, were you a virgin when you married your wife?” Not a typical question a student asks their […]
This was a first for me – I had never attended a conference for Christian faculty, despite having been a professor for over 20 years. Nor had I expected to ever attend such a conference. And yet, there I sat on the stage, not only attending, but pounding on a cajon, while my colleague, Janet, […]
A saint in our small church, Myra, approached me one Sunday. Myra is the same woman who prayed for me 20 years ago to marry Beth, my wonderful wife of now 20 years. Myra said, “I have been praying for more elders to be part of the leadership of our church, and I have been praying […]
I am stepping back into academia this year after a two-year detour working at my church. This brings with it a fresh excitement for returning to Boise State and engaging in ministry with students and faculty here. What I wasn’t prepared for – and have been pleasantly surprised by – is the movement of Christ […]
As I neared retirement, I was apprehensive about what I would do. The world has a view of retirement that differs significantly from the biblical view of service to The Kingdom. Many who follow the world’s egocentric advice end up being bored, isolated, and purposeless. Contrastingly, Christians recognize Solomon’s counsel in Proverbs 16:9: “The mind […]
During my senior year of undergrad, I signed up for a class far outside my mechanical engineering curriculum—Freud Debates Lewis—offered through the honors college. As someone who had grown up loving C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, but had never studied Freud, I was intrigued by the chance to explore faith, culture, and reason […]
