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 crowd came, and I remembered.
I remembered myself, decades ago, as an Emmanuel student. I remembered faces—some I can still name, others I can only feel. I remembered chapel gatherings that shaped me, songs that became prayers, and prayers that became stories I still tell.
Then I focused on the present—
that room, that morning—
preparing for a few days of visiting memories and crafting new ones.
So many students and former students. So much joy. So many conversations and tears and hope and beginnings. So many prayers whispered in corners and shouted in praise. So many songs sung, declaring that God is near—even when we didn’t feel Him, even when we didn’t know what came next.
This weekend—Emmanuel’s Homecoming—felt like a reunion of time itself: Friday, Saturday, Sunday—moments mingling. Past and present shaking hands. Stories still alive, echoing through that room and many more, carried in hugs and laughter and the scent of food.
We gathered for Homecoming—students, faculty, staff, alumni, board members. We shared meals and memories. We clapped for awards. We cheered at ball games. We sang familiar songs. We told old stories and started new ones. We talked and listened and ate again.
Before the gatherings, I shared my heart with Emmanuel’s board and decision-makers—words of hope, faith, and a vision of what could be next. Because this place, this Emmanuel, continues to live up to its name: God with us.
That truth holds weight when I look back over my almost two decades of serving here as Campus Pastor. Twenty years of conversations that matter. Twenty years of tears and laughter and prayer. Twenty years of students who became friends, who became leaders, who became the next wave of voices telling the same story: God is here.
And as I sat in that chapel before and in many other places after others arrived for the weekend, I wondered—Do we notice? Do we see how present He has been through every celebration and every storm? Do we remember that He still walks among us, in classrooms, dorm rooms, and gym floors?
Homecoming reminded me why we come and why we go, what really matters, why many return. Because Emmanuel—God with us—has been, and is, and will continue to be.
The question is not whether He will stay. The question is whether we will notice. Whether the time together will help us remember He is here.
The weekend concluded on Sunday with my Goldmine family—a morning of worship, prayer, fellowship, and a sermon. A Sunday evening of honoring staff. More food, more conversations, more appreciation.
The weekend ended, and I smiled—grateful. For years long ago. For the present reality. For a future of opportunities.
Isn’t that the right way to remember and reflect and rejoice? Appreciating days gone by. Accepting present responsibility. Anticipating what is waiting.
I’m not as young as I used to be. And that is okay. The weekend reminded me: God is good. He is with us. These years and decades—those speeding in the fast lane—are moments to cherish.
I’m trying not to miss them.
I don’t want you to miss them either.
There’s so much good around us. God really is with us.
What a beautiful picture of remembering, celebrating, honoring and anticipating, God with us. At the center. The very heart. Thank you, Chris. I love you, dear friend. I can hardly wait to see what lies ahead…and I am confident God will continue to be with us and guide us from the center of it all.
“The question is not if he will be with us, the question is, will we notice?” What a beautiful reminder. The days are speeding by for sure, and I was reminded that very soon there will be an Emmanuel Homecoming that I will be coming back to myself. Very soon, I will no longer be serving at homecoming, but I will be attending. The chapter goes by quickly, but may I remember to spend time with the one who wrote my chapter. May I not rush through this season, this last year, this last semester without realising he is with me. Emmanuel, God with us
This is such a great reminder to live in the moment and recognize where God is working through us and what He is doing around us. This is especially prominent in this season as it is easy to focus on the future since we are nearing the end of this semester. Our focus is on just one more test, one more paper, one more practice or game, one more early class. Until, its winter break and we look back thinking, “wow,” another semester flew by. Each moment is a gift and each breath we take is a blessing, like you said above, it is our choice to take the moment to recognize and appreciate it.
I was just talking with a friend about how fast our first semester has gone by. We both agree that Emmanuel feels like home. We feel safe here. Our friends are already family. We were thinking about all the people that will graduate soon, and it made us so sad. Then we realized it really is not that long before we graduate. When we miss or long for something it proves how blessed we really are. God has blessed us so greatly. I am so thankful for the ways He abundantly loves us!
Love these statements, “For years long ago. For the present reality. For a future of opportunities.” Being in the present is so important but not forgetting the past and allowing it to help shape us for the future is equally as important. Being in the present is what caused those who came back to stay, but the past is what brought them back here for homecoming weekend. Our present reality keeps us here, keeps us going and causes us to look back and try to look ahead and see what we can fix now or prepare for. Coming and going is so important but what happens in between those transitions is the most important.
“It’s important for us to create bonds that are strong,” you said as you looked around the room. You started to think about the present and thats what we’re missing sometimes; we think too much on whats going and just the bad things that are in our present, but let’s think about good times that are going right infront of us but also the future with the people we have grown with, people that we call our friends, and we can trust each other , but the importantnce is just trusting in God because he’s the one who makes the desicons
I really enjoyed reflecting on my own experience at Emmanuel while reading this. There is so much to appreciate by stepping foot onto such a God-centered campus. It has really made me realize that God is never missing, it just takes us to notice Him. I think a lot about my freshman year, and how God was intentionally carving my path in ways that I am so grateful for in order to get to where I’m at now. I want to continue to be grateful, and to use that gratitude to propel the rest of my experience while on this campus and into the real world. I hope to one day come back and think about all of the times God was working in me and others on this campus and to sit back in awe of just how good He really has been and will always continue to be.
Learning to be grateful for the past, present, and future is so important. I appreciate each moment and opportunity God has placed in front of me. “The weekend ended, and I smiled—grateful. For years long ago. For the present reality. For a future of opportunities.” This statement was so powerful and allowed me to reflect on the path God is leading me on. He is always there working constantly for my good. I am forever grateful for Him.