In May of 2025, I was stunned to receive an email from my university’s human resources department informing me that I was at risk of being laid off. Even though I knew that my institution was facing some tough financial challenges, I hadn’t really expected to face layoffs (or what we British term “redundancy”) myself. […]
The post on a UGA Facebook group for female faculty who were also moms expressed frustration toward a Christian colleague of mine. “Sarah” had given a faculty member a copy of the Gospel of John, along with a personal note encouraging her to consider the good news of Jesus Christ. The Facebook post included a […]
For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. John 1:16 My three-hour graduate class was proceeding as usual. I made a few comments and posed questions. My students contributed to the discussion and provided thoughtful input. I love such discussions when students are engaged with the material, and at that moment I was feeling […]
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 […]
For collegiate faculty, tenure is an important career stepping stone. But its pursuit can be a challenging, lonely, and personal journey. The results are also largely out of your control. Once a file is submitted for review, you are at the mercy of others to ultimately find you worthy or not. Not long ago I […]
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 […]
It happens frequently throughout my academic career. I feel nervous before speaking with a colleague about a challenging issue. Or demanding students barge into my office when I have precious little time and energy to give them. How will I display Christ? How will I display Christ? Now, I am about to stand before an […]
