I Will Try

I Will Try

I asked the students in my spiritual formation class who would volunteer to pray a specific way in a room where we had gathered. The place was significant. I told a little of the story—the history, the purpose of that room. I thought it would be an ideal location to...
The Power of Stories

The Power of Stories

I read their stories—words written late at night, words carrying weight, words searching for release. I hear their testimonies— spoken softly, sometimes through tears, sometimes through smiles that hide what the heart still feels. I listen to creative confessions and...
Learning From Students

Learning From Students

They come to college to learn. To attend classes, complete assignments, study, write, take tests, and hope for good grades. They read and research. They work hard and stay up late. They carry heavy bags and heavier expectations.  Learning—that’s the reason...
Homecoming Weekend

Homecoming Weekend

I arrived early Thursday morning. The School of Christian Ministry’s Oasis in Taylor Chapel was quiet—still, except for the whisper of memory. Empty seats waiting for voices. Walls remembering laughter. A room waiting for words. I sat there, before I spoke, before the...
Pages of Time

Pages of Time

Each day turns like a page in a book we didn’t write, yet we’re living every word. Days, like pages packed with stories, offer a mixture of information and emotion. Moods shift between the nouns and verbs, and paragraphs pulse with laughter—until, suddenly, the tone...
Endurance

Endurance

We don’t talk about endurance very often anymore. Not the kind that keeps going when you’re exhausted. Not the kind that chooses faith when everything in you wants to quit. But that’s what Paul handed down to Timothy in his final letter. And that’s what we need right...