It has been 18 years since my family began an ongoing relationship with ACU. We have experienced the changes that come with growing together as a family, adding new family members (our grandson!), and losing some (just recently our dog, Chewy, after 14 years of putting up with us). Although I certainly did not expect our path to turn us towards Abilene, it has been a pathway of blessings and challenges that have bonded and strengthened our family.
When Dr. Griggs asked if I would come to ACU, I did not know what to expect working in an academic environment. As a visiting instructor and doctoral fellow for the first 6 years in the Academy, I was challenged in many ways, which fundamentally prepared my family for the difficult times we would experience over the next 12 years. Although our family has undergone life-changing times through the relationships and experiences we’ve shared, I have also experienced spiritual and intellectual growth through the many events and interactions we have had in Abilene and ACU.
These past 11 years, we have seen God work miracles within the ACU community. We have seen record setting events and financial contributions that better position the University to prepare students for Christian service, to make a difference in the world. We have seen God bring leadership changes that I am sure have challenged the status quo and, as a result, have both astounded and strengthened our community. I have come to know people who walk with God in a way that goes beyond curiosity, where people are compelled to ask questions for a deeper understanding of truth. I have experienced a mixture of personalities and circumstances that, in the end, confirm what it means to walk with Christ.
During my tenure and promotion review in 2012, I emphasized my relationship as a child of the most High God. Although much wiser, and certainly more humble, I still treasure this relationship even moreso today because God has made Himself manifest in both happiness and sorrow during these times. Because of this mixture of events and circumstances, I again affirm that I was led to ACU for a purpose not my own.
For the first 20 years after graduating from college, I followed a career path that led me through various aspects of the oil and gas and petrochemical industries. For almost another 20 years, after supporting and managing various corporate operations, I followed a different calling in academe. This combined experience and the challenges of life have brought me to a place that I did not know existed. I believe I was called out of engineering and corporate management to serve as a mentor and educator of students, to help develop future leaders and stewards of the gifts and resources entrusted in their care. When I consider the areas of assessment for promotion to full professor, those of teaching, scholarship, and service, I realize I have followed a consistent path that has led to a purposed outcome.
Although my main contribution to ACU has been in teaching and research, I feel blessed to have the opportunity to use the leadership skills I developed while in industry to help others form and follow a spiritual vision that leads to a better understanding of God.