One of my favorite things about my job is mentoring students who hope to become attorneys. In my own college and law school experience, the Lord used people and programs for low-income students to help me get started. As a pre-law advisor I work with students who overwhelmingly come from backgrounds like mine. To equip and encourage […]
“Fall forward in faith” – one of my pastor’s favorite sayings – echoed in my head as the young lady in front of me started veering off topic during our 30-minute meeting. I was teaching a doctoral methods class and met with each student in the first couple of weeks to customize their final project. […]
The longer I have navigated the classroom, the more I’ve come to embrace the old saying “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Throughout Scripture we also see that God looks at the heart—our motives and thought life—as more important than our behaviors. I have found it helpful […]
“Jill” (not her real name) had just finished her undergrad degree in engineering and was working on her MBA. She had recently gotten out of a toxic relationship and was confused and lonely. She was struggling with her concept of God and who He is. She called me and we talked on the phone a […]
Since the pandemic, I have been more involved in teaching online classes, which has allowed me to teach students from around the nation. Recently, while teaching an online class, I had a great learning assistant who was a recent graduate. Although I never met my assistant in person, we began to form a collegial bond […]
As the current Faculty Advisor for Cru’s student ministry at the University of Florida, I have found my true calling—serving God by serving others. I am continually inspired by an amazing group of students who courageously share their faith, pray for and help others, and create a markably warm and welcoming community. But first, let […]
The influence of higher education on my faith cannot be understated. Christian faculty and campus ministries heavily influenced my faith while I was in college. God used my experience at a secular university to draw me to salvation and help me grow as a believer. I grew up in a Christian home in rural eastern […]
My heart sank. As the minutes ticked away, it became obvious I would be the only one on the Cru Bible study Zoom call. Discouraged, I ended the call and began to pray. “What do you want me to do, Lord? Do you want me to find another colleague to be the sponsor of our […]
Years ago, I traveled with students to Europe for a semester-long study abroad program. Having led many short-term and longer-term study abroad programs over the years, I’ve seen my share of behavioral and emotional issues faced by students when they’re far from home. In this case, as the weeks progressed, one student’s attitude began to […]
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 […]