My colleague Yukako handed me a tiny, printed list of titles, and I considered my options. I had been fascinated with Japan for decades. In the same month, I had my first taste of sushi and taught my first lesson on intercultural communication. Soon after, while serving at a Christian camp, I learned how unreached […]
I’m an underwater coward. I admit it. I have a student who works in my lab and likes to scuba dive with sharks. I’d never do that, but she loves it. I’ve heard that sometimes people even “chum” the water when they want to attract sharks: tossing in pieces of fish to pull sharks and […]
Our university, like most, has dirt paths created by repeated foot traffic. These quick routes off the sidewalks are called “desire paths.” I know groundskeepers resent them; the destruction of the turf, the erosion, and the accompanying mud. Students, and at least a few faculty, like them. Who doesn’t want shortcuts in our busy days? […]
At times in my life I have looked at witnessing more as a duty, which I dreaded, rather than a privilege to be nurtured and enjoyed. It isn’t always easy, but when I take that step of faith, it brings joy. Our Privilege It is so humbling that God, who could do everything without us, […]
My heart beats to live on mission. Why? I am a product of just one brave, considerate teacher who shared her faith and invited me to a Christian youth conference when I was a senior in high school. My family had experienced significant levels of trauma: violence, divorce, poverty; this day-to-day chaos significantly impacted my […]
My husband and I recently retired from our work in higher education. The thought has crossed my mind several times, “So where do I go from here? During the past five years I have participated in a virtual Faculty Commons book study group that has greatly enriched my life and my teaching. During a recent […]
In the summer of 2021, I was offered the opportunity to teach engineering. Having had a career as an engineer, I made sure that I sought God’s guidance for my decision, and God gave me peace about the idea of moving from Florida to South Carolina. So I did. I understood that if He wanted […]
Fifteen years of teaching online courses has taught me many things, but nothing prepared me for the wave of shared pain and loss I witnessed during the pandemic. As campuses closed down and students scrambled to finish their degrees from bedrooms and kitchen tables, I felt a deep sense of responsibility not only to teach […]
I miss the university classroom. I am retired now, but I spent 35 years preparing teachers in K-6 early childhood and K-12 special education. I loved interacting with university students and watching them blossom into superb educators with a passion for teaching those who learn differently. I also miss networking with my colleagues in the “iron sharpens […]
At the beginning of 2024, I learned about the Faculty Commons movement in Cali through Carlos Esteban Cuervo, who is with Faculty Commons here in Colombia. Later, several Christian professors began meeting to encourage one another. Among the activities, we began reading the book Una Historia Mas Grande;La Metanarrativa De Dios (A Grander Story). The authors’ testimonies were wonderful […]
