{"id":6971,"date":"2022-09-28T13:34:48","date_gmt":"2022-09-28T18:34:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coba\/?p=6971"},"modified":"2022-09-28T13:34:48","modified_gmt":"2022-09-28T18:34:48","slug":"rick-atchley-encourages-students-faculty-and-staff-to-abide-in-christ-at-lytle-center-dinner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coba\/2022\/09\/28\/rick-atchley-encourages-students-faculty-and-staff-to-abide-in-christ-at-lytle-center-dinner\/","title":{"rendered":"Rick Atchley Encourages Students, Faculty, and Staff to “Abide in Christ” at Lytle Center Dinner"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by special contributor Lance Fleming<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"In more than 30 years as the minister at The Hills Church in North Richland Hills, Rick Atchley (\u201978) has delivered thousands of sermons to millions of people, drawing listeners from near and far to a relationship with Jesus Christ.\u00a0 In Atchley\u2019s tenure with The Hills Church, it has grown to be among the largest Church of Christ congregations in the world, averaging over 5,000 in attendance each week across three campuses.<\/span><\/p>\n

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As he said when he was named ACU\u2019s Outstanding Alumnus of the Year in 2014, one of the themes of his life and his ministry is to live out Christ\u2019s call to unify and to \u201cbring down walls that God didn\u2019t want up in the first place.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Atchley spoke to both students and faculty and staff at ACU on Tuesday, September 6th.\u00a0 His address to\"\" students was a part of the Lytle Center\u2019s Fall Speaker Series while his exhortation to faculty and staff was a part of the Lytle Center\u2019s second annual Abiding in Christ dinner event.\u00a0 The Abiding in Christ dinner was established in 2021 with a vision of encouraging and challenging faculty and staff in the deepening of their relationships with Jesus in order to better influence and serve students. It should come as no surprise that Atchley had a challenge for each group. A mission to\u00a0 follow Christ no matter the setting or circumstances.<\/span><\/p>\n

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At the Abiding in Christ dinner, Atchley contended, that ACU should be a place where students attend to not only grow in academic ability but also in wisdom.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWe know there\u2019s a difference between being intelligent and truly being wise, and that\u2019s why I believe the mission of this university is so critical,\u201d he said to a group of around 200 faculty and staff members gathered in the Brown Family Club Level at Anthony Field at Wildcat Stadium. \u201cLet\u2019s be honest: young people don\u2019t have to come to ACU to gain knowledge on how to be an accountant or how to manage the market. They can gain knowledge at many great universities. What I hope for when they come here is that, along with knowledge, they gain wisdom. They learn to be wise, not just smart.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Atchley then spent several minutes challenging those in attendance to teach their students to look for wisdom and guidance from above and not from other sources.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cWhat is the wisdom of the world?\u201d he asked. \u201cIt\u2019s the knowledge that looks for truth from within instead of above. It\u2019s the Kool-Aid of this culture. The young people you teach have been immersed in it. It\u2019s all about finding <\/span>their<\/span><\/i> truth. The world has told them to look inside to find truth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"\u201cThey don\u2019t have to come here to get knowledge; you\u2019re good at that,\u201d Atchley told the crowd. \u201cYou\u2019re good at that. But when they leave with the knowledge you\u2019ve given them, will they be wiser? Will they leave with a worldview that says \u2018I\u2019m going to look at life through the lens of the wisdom of Christ? He will be where I get my truth. He will be the framework from which I understand what is right and wrong.\u2019 Will they leave with wisdom, not just knowledge?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Late in his address to the faculty and staff, Atchley reminded them that they are working and teaching in a society that has been battered by the constant battle between politics and religion. And it\u2019s against that backdrop that ACU faculty and staff must equip students with the wisdom needed to traverse that world, no matter their chosen profession.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cFor the Christian educator, the opportunity to prepare students for the world in which they will pursue varied and creative careers must include the role of faith and the pursuit of wisdom,\u201d said Mitzi Adams, Director of Clinical Teaching and Field Experiences in the Department of Teacher Education. \u201cWe are challenged to consider how our courses are different from the courses offered at other prestigious universities where students could secure a solid education. At ACU, it must come back to the witness of faith.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cI think it\u2019s very important for students to hear and experience much more than just knowledge of their field of study,\u201d she said. \u201cAt a Christian university, the faith we profess becomes the framework through which we view and experience this education.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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\"\"As Atchley pointed out numerous times to the faculty and staff, the prevailing mission of ACU should be to not only equip students with knowledge and wisdom but also the desire to live out their faith in the world around them.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cFor a student to walk away from this Christian university without the opportunity to understand and apply where and how faith integrates into their chosen field of study is to have had an important aspect of this education withheld,\u201d Adams said. \u201cIf not now, when will\u00a0our students have the opportunity to be immersed in studies intended to prepare them for excellence in their field? Beyond this, at what other time in the lives of our students will they have the opportunity to be taught by exceptional practitioners, academics, and researchers who are compelled by the Christian faith? Our students are here now. This is an opportunity we have as a faculty to pour into our students not only our professional expertise but also the centering of our faith.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Before Atchley spoke to the faculty and staff at the football stadium, he met with COBA students, challenging them to choose the battles that matter.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s easy to get passionate and carried away with matters that don\u2019t have much weight,\u201d said Kathryn Crawford, a senior Finance and Management major from Flower Mound. \u201c<\/span>Instead, we need to recognize the fights that will have an impactful outcome and approach those with our chosen values.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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In addition, his theme with the students was much the same as it would be later with the faculty and staff: that knowledge is easily attainable anywhere but it\u2019s wisdom and obedience in Christ that will make the most impact on the world.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cHe made the point that we have to trust the impact of an obedient life,\u201d Crawford said of Atchley. \u201cWhen things become difficult, the easy way out seems so attractive. But this path does not guarantee obedience. Time and time again, scripture shows us our convictions will cause us to face difficult things in our lives. Choosing obedience may not be easy but the impact we can unknowingly have on the Kingdom is far greater than the temporary adversity we might face.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Crawford said Atchley\u2019s message to students about integrity and faith in the workplace resonated with her because he put special emphasis on how important the choice will be.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cAs a student at a Christian university, it becomes easy to rely on circumstances and surroundings to motivate\"\" my faith,\u201d she said. \u201cHowever, I know this won\u2019t necessarily be the case when I emerge into the workforce as a young professional. I value my faith deeply but have not been in many environments that challenge or counter my beliefs. I left the message feeling encouraged to stay true to my values regardless of circumstance and recognize how much of a difference it can truly make if I choose to let it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Lytle Center for Faith and Leadership exists to foster environments for individuals to grow in faith and character, equipping them with cutting edge leadership competencies, and developing them to be ambassadors of hope, peace, and life in their workplaces. The Lytle Center Speaker Series and the annual Abiding in Christ dinner events are just one example of the ways the Lytle Center strives to encourage and equip the students, faculty, and staff at Abilene Christian University.\u00a0 More information about the Lytle Center can be found by clicking here.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by special contributor Lance Fleming In more than 30 years as the minister at The Hills Church in North Richland Hills, Rick Atchley (\u201978) has delivered thousands of sermons to millions of people, drawing listeners from near and far to a relationship with Jesus Christ.\u00a0 In Atchley\u2019s tenure with The Hills Church, it has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5020,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[818,386,2801,6633,154269,2750,6627,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-academics","category-alumni-spotlight","category-coba-events","category-coba-faculty","category-coba-staff","category-current-students","category-faith-infusion","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5020"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6971"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6971\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6979,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6971\/revisions\/6979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.acu.edu\/coba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}