Cedarville Stories: Recent Episodes

Cedarville University

Cedarville Stories podcast shares the stories of individuals who have been impacted from their experiences at Cedarville University, all for God's glory. Each week you’ll hear unique stories of how Cedarville’s mission of transforming lives through excellent education and intentional discipleship in submission to biblical authority is being lived out in the lives of faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends of the University.

Listen in each Wednesday and be blessed by some of the amazing ways God is working in and through the lives of the Cedarville family.

Equipping Thousands

Mark Klimek taught every nursing student at Cedarville University over his 38-year career before his retirement this summer. His NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) preparation courses have helped thousands of students at Cedarville, across the country, and around the world to pass the test to become registered nurses.

This tremendous legacy began in Youngstown, Ohio. Mark’s dad counseled his son to find a career where he would have job security, and the Lord has provided. He has served well in a number of nursing roles, but for the majority of his career, as an associate professor at the school where he long aspired to serve.

But for Mark, it isn’t about security, but about the one who provides security – the Lord Jesus. As a practicing nurse, he had the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus, to be the listening ear of Jesus, and to be a proclaimer of the good news of Jesus.

As a professor, he has influenced hundreds of Cedarville nursing graduates to view their career as a way to glorify the Lord.

“What better profession could I show Christ in?” Mark shares during the podcast. “If you go through Christ’s life, what did He do? He fed people. We do that as nurses. He gave them something to drink. He talked to them about their fears and anxieties. He quieted them; He calmed them. He sat with them. He rejoiced with them. He cried with them. He laughed with them. Nurses do that all the time. And we get to work with the greatest machine designed by the greatest Creator ever.”

Listen to Mark share his story on the Cedarville Stories Podcast.

The Bethesda Nine

For the first time ever, the Cedarville Stories Podcast is hosting not one, not two, but five guests on this week’s episode. And it’s not common for a high school to send nine of its students to Cedarville University in the same year.

But Bethesda Christian School in Brownsburg, Indiana did just that. Seth Bradley, Ellen Geimer, Paige Vawter, Ian Whitehead, Eva Campbell, Jake Henry, Jenny Li, and Emma Spencer officially became Yellow Jackets this fall.

When you listen to these students share their stories, a common theme rings through their answers—Cedarville is a special place. Whether they had a sibling pave the way or their campus visit had a tremendous impact, each of these Bethesda students knew they wanted to be a part of what was happening at Cedarville.

For the parents, including Sara Vawter and Scott Bradley, this fall semester is bittersweet. While leaving a child at college is never easy, these parents have full confidence that their students will receive excellent education and intentional discipleship.

Perseverance Through Suffering

Injuries and sports seem to go hand in hand. But repeated injuries can destroy an athlete’s career. And what Max Miller thought were minor muscles injuries turned out to be a chronic disorder that would change his life.

It was Max’s dream to make it to the major leagues. He had a promising baseball career, playing all throughout high school in his West Virginia hometown.

But in 2019, during his sophomore year at Cedarville, Max began noticing nagging injuries like pulled muscles. These injuries wouldn’t heal, making baseball nearly impossible. This began a year-and-a-half-long journey of doctor visits and exploring potential diagnoses like ALS and muscular dystrophy.

In that same year, Max was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a chronic disorder that causes muscle pain throughout the body. This ended his baseball career, sending him into a dark season, wrestling with his faith and questioning God’s goodness.

But the Lord brought Max through this trying time, opening doors in exercise science and ultimately strengthening his faith.

And now, three years later, Max serves as an assistant strength coach for a minor league team in the Boston Red Sox organization. While his baseball dreams didn’t amount to what he thought, he is having a significant impact on baseball players who might find themselves one day playing in the major leagues.

An Answer to Prayer

Three months and one kidney later, beloved Cedarville professor Dr. Chuck Elliott is feeling better than he has in years, all thanks to thousands of answered prayers and the selfless sacrifice of his brother-in-law, Jon Enright, pastor of Troy Christian Chapel in suburban Detroit, Michigan.

This road to good health for Chuck has been a long one with its ups and downs.

After years of misdiagnosed high blood pressure, Chuck was devastatingly diagnosed with kidney failure in May 2022. He quickly began dialysis to sustain his failing kidneys and this grueling process, which took nine hours every night, took a toll on his body.

His doctors told him he had one choice – to find a kidney donor. They advised him to ask for willing donors, but anyone who knows Chuck knows that he is a humble and modest man – not about to ask someone for such a sacrifice.

But his students felt differently.

As part of a class assignment, a group of students started the social media campaign, Deep Calls for Life, through which they educated people about organ donation and campaigned for a kidney for Dr. Elliott.

After almost a year of nightly dialysis, Chuck received word that Jon was a match to donate a kidney.

For Jon, this was not a difficult decision. He even went to great lengths to meet donor requirements, including losing 30 pounds.

After successful surgeries for both Chuck and Jon, Chuck is well on the road to recovery, feeling better than he has in years.

Though not without its side-effects and immunity complications, this transplant has been life-changing for Chuck, and he is forever grateful for the support of his students, friends, and family.

Advancing Ministry

He lives a life that is centered on relationships. This is what drives him personally, professionally, and spiritually.

Kevin Howells understands how the saving work of Jesus in his life transformed him into the leader he is today. And, as a member of the leadership team with Good News Jail and Prison Ministry, Kevin spends his days building new, and strengthening existing, relationships as the lead advancement officer.

Kevin is a special leader and a gifted fundraiser. It’s the stories of broken inmates turned prison chaplains that give meaning to the work he does. Kevin invites donors throughout the country to join in God’s work through Good News Jail and Prison ministry. He doesn’t view his role as asking for donations; rather, he considers it giving others the opportunity to participate in a life-changing ministry.

Not only has Kevin experienced rebirth in his own life and witnessed it in the lives of prisoners, he and his wife, Vanessa, have been privileged to see the Gospel in action through the adoption of their daughter, Mia, from Kazakhstan. Both Kevin and Vanessa, to this day, cherish every moment they get to build into the life of their now teenage daughter.

Between the adoption process, which was finalized in 2010, and the years Kevin has used to serve the Lord at Moody Bible Institute, Cedarville University, and now at Good News Jail and Prison Ministry, Kevin’s deepest desire is to serve others through transparent relationships and sharing the Gospel.

He embraces new challenges and the opportunities to make a difference, which he shares this week on the Cedarville Stories Podcast.

From Student to Local Pharmacy Owner

Katie Perry wanted nothing more than to make the Cedarville Yellow Jackets softball team. She spent many evenings practicing with her parents in their yard. Her dreams came true when she made the roster in 2014.

But after driving back to campus after a short weekend trip back home, she experienced a minor accident that caused her a number of injuries, forcing her to take a break from softball for an entire season.

Pursuing a doctoral degree in pharmacy at Cedarville, Katie ended her softball career early so she could put her full effort into being a successful graduate student.

The bottom line was Katie didn’t want to fail in the rigorous Doctor of Pharmacy program. She had a vision to work at a large chain pharmacy, like Meijer, CVS, or Walgreens, and doing well in college was essential.

She passed with flying colors.

After graduating from the pharmacy program and completing her residency at CedarCare Village Pharmacy, Katie has found herself the owner of not one, but three hometown pharmacies.

Through the mentorship of former dean Dr. Marc Sweeney, current dean Dr. Jeff Bates, and assistant dean Dr. Aleda Chen, Katie was more than prepared for what the Lord had in store for her.

Now the mother of two children, Katie’s desire for her pharmacies is to care well for her patients regardless of their needs.

Although she has been mistaken for the famous singer with the same name, she is thriving in her role as a pharmacy owner. Giving special care to all of her customers is paramount to her, including her newest customers at Cedarville Hometown Pharmacy.

Politics for God’s Glory

For many people, politics can be a divisive topic. But for state Senator John Arch of Nebraska, he believes it doesn’t have to be that way.

The father of two Cedarville graduates, Cameron and Nick Arch, John believes firmly in prioritizing his faith — even in the political context of the state legislature of Nebraska.

But John didn’t always see himself as a politician. Originally, he was content to serve people through his role in healthcare. His leadership and influence in healthcare proved to be a valuable training for John in the political world — and the residents of Nebraska are the benefactors of his service.

In 2016, John was approached by a state senator who was at the end of his term. He encouraged John to enter the state legislature, and two years later, he ran uncontested. Now in his second term, John is the speaker of the legislature, serving as a facilitator of debate amongst members of the state senate.

Even in this context, John has stood firm in his beliefs. He put his faith in Christ at a young age and has since sought to live out his faith daily, serving as an example for his two sons as well as his fellow senators. As he would say, living out your faith is what makes the difference.

Even though Christianity and politics don’t often mix well, John has sought to live out his faith no matter the cost.

Bryson the Brave Bison

When an Army ROTC student and an aspiring college basketball player met on Cedarville’s baseball team, they would have never guessed they would one day co-author a children’s book.

But that’s exactly what Luke Freshwater and Nate Davenport have done, and the book is generating favorable reviews across the country. Nate, a 2013 alum, came to Cedarville with a hope of securing a roster spot on the Yellow Jacket men’s basketball team. During tryouts, however, Nate knew that he underperformed and missed any chance he had to play basketball at Cedarville.

This disappointment was short-lived. Moments after leaving the basketball tryout, baseball coach Mike Manes put Nate through a baseball workout, and he hit it out of the park — literally. Then, as a member of Cedarville’s baseball team, he became one of the most prolific power hitters in university history, a fact that continues today as he still holds numerous offensive statistics, including most home runs and runs batted in.

With a stellar college baseball career in the books, Nate pursued professional baseball. He enjoyed great workouts with several teams, including the Atlanta Braves, but in the end, he was never drafted and ultimately turned down a semi-professional baseball contract to pursue God’s calling for his life.

His teammate, Luke, also had an unlikely start to Cedarville. A transfer ROTC student, he was part of the baseball team’s two greatest years. The two graduated and parted ways, Luke going overseas to serve his country in Afghanistan. It wasn’t until he returned to the U.S. that the two reconnected.

After reconnecting, Nate had this idea for a children’s book about a bison who learned about bravery by running into a storm. But Nathan knew this idea came from Luke, who often talked about the analogy of braving the storm — just like bison do — instead of running away from it.

So the two joined forces, and before they knew it. they were published with the leading children’s Christian publisher, Zonderkidz.

Roommates to New Hampshire

What started as a vague, crazy idea in their sophomore year of college turned into a 1,000-mile bicycle ride they would never forget. Jonathan Viaud-Murat and Eli Wicker peddled from Cedarville, Ohio, to Keane, New Hampshire, just in time for a friend’s wedding.

Why? Why not?

Jonathan, a 2023 mechanical engineering graduate, and Eli, a 2022 biology graduate, have been friends since their freshman year at Cedarville. Since those early years of their friendship, they’ve been talking about biking across America.

When the cross-country bike ride didn’t materialize, they opted to ride their bikes from Cedarville to a college friend’s wedding in New Hampshire. The trip was filled with memories they’ll always cherish. Eli and Jonathan, along with Jay Kinsinger, associate professor of mechanical and biomedical engineering, and Will Imfeld — the groom of the aforementioned wedding — set out on their journey.

It wasn’t always smooth sailing for the Cedarville group. Early in the adventure, they experienced heavy rain. In fact, because of the rain, Jay’s e-bike lost power and he was forced to peddle 90 miles without any mechanical assistance from the typically reliable wooden e-bike that he made at Cedarville.

The riders often slept wherever they could find a safe place to sleep. Sometimes it was in a stranger’s house, thanks to a bikers’ program called “Hot Showers.” If they weren’t sleeping in homes, they camped alongside the road or a nearby park.

15 days after departing Cedarville, Jonathan and Eli made it to the wedding just in time to serve as groomsmen for Will. And, when the wedding weekend concluded, the friendship that was formed as college freshmen was even stronger.

Not even rain, hills, or poor food options could dampen a relationship that will continue to grow throughout the years. And, their memories will last for a lifetime.

Overcoming Rejection

Kary Oberbrunner was an angry kid who questioned God at every turn. But at the age of 12, he accepted Christ and wanted to grow in his faith. However, this didn’t end his doubts and debilitating battle with guilt that drove him to self-harm.

It was a deep dive into the Psalms that started to turn Kary’s life around. The psalmist’s real struggles with faith encouraged him to journal — emptying his pain on the page — something he does to this day.

When it came time to graduate high school, Kary was uncertain about what he wanted to do with his life or if he even wanted to attend college. Somewhat aimless, he decided to follow his high school girlfriend to Grace College, only to break up on their first day as college freshmen.

Broken and confused, he stayed at Grace and with guidance from his peers and professors, he decided to pursue becoming a United States Air Force chaplain. Similar to his broken high school relationship, his dream of becoming a chaplain ended because he was turned away by the Air Force due to an asthma condition.

Still somewhat aimless, Kary graduated from college and soon thereafter earned a master’s degree from Grace Seminary. His theology education led him to become a pastor at a small country church in Ohio.

But Kary felt stagnant. He was bored, so he pursued a doctorate degree and started writing books. His soul was ignited, and he quickly became a Wall Street Journal and USA Today bestselling author and the CEO of Igniting Souls Publishing Agency.

Today, Kary continues to feed his entrepreneurial spirit by leading Igniting Souls and Blockchain Life businesses, but he’s also become the Berry Chair of Entrepreneurship for Cedarville’s Robert W. Plaster School of Business.

Military as Missions

A young David Carr didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life. He was a standout basketball player for Cedarville High School, and later at the local university.

After graduating from Cedarville University in 1983 and marrying Stephanie Frank three days later, the couple moved to Tacoma, Washington, as David pursued a degree at Northwest Baptist Seminary.

He knew that he wanted to serve in ministry, but it wasn’t clear to him where the Lord was leading him until he heard a message from a guest speaker at the seminary that opened his eyes to an opportunity in the United States Air Force. After graduating from Northwest, David became a reserve chaplain for the United States Air Force.

This led David and his family on a unique path that spanned 37 years until his retirement earlier this year. As a military chaplain, Col. David Carr ministered to men and women in some of their darkest moments, offering comfort that can only come from the Word of God. He brought spiritual strength and care to the military bases he served.

And, as one could imagine, wartime provides a unique opportunity for chaplains to reach servicemen who are searching for life’s answers. That was the situation with David. He spent many hours sharing the truth of the Gospel and encouraging troops during their deployments.

Starting as a young athlete who wasn’t sure about his future, Col. David Carr followed the leading of the Lord and served our country with distinction. You can hear David Carr’s inspiring journey on this week’s Cedarville Stories Podcast.

Life is Messy

Today's podcast is shared in memory of Coach Ken Erny, who passed away on Sunday, June 4, 2023 after a three-year battle with ALS.

Life can be messy, which coach Ken Erny, a 1978 graduate of Cedarville University, knew firsthand.

Ken first learned the messiness of life as a member of the men’s tennis team. He withstood snow, rain, and 70-mile-per-hour winds during a tennis match in Michigan. But, he persevered and finished his match. Or the time when he broke his wrist on his way to another match, which ended his opportunity to play at the NAIA national tournament.

Those earliest experiences prepared Ken for embracing fresh unknown challenges, starting two brand-new soccer programs at high schools in Michigan. By 2020, Ken was looking ahead to retirement as he prepared his successor.

But that does not mean that Ken, who was serving as athletic director in Fruitport, Michigan, was slowing down at all. Sixty-to-seventy-hour work weeks were still common. And then came COVID-19, which brought Ken, and the rest of the world, to a hard stop.

During the quiet of the pandemic, Ken was able to pay attention to a foot and leg problem that had plagued him for a while, but he simply brushed it off as a "small issue" and continued with his busy lifestyle. To Ken, it may have just been a back problem or a minor health ailment.

After medical tests, the doctors' diagnosis revealed a far more devastating health concern--he had contracted amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, and there is no cure.

Ken and his wife, Lori, who have trusted the Lord through the ups and downs of life for 44 years, embraced this struggle together. And, surrounded by the love of their supportive family and countless friends throughout the Fruitport, Michigan community, they persevered to the end.

Coach Ken Erny's battle ended on Sunday, June 4, 2023, but his inspiration through recorded messages to his wife, children, grandkids, and friends remains to this day.

Today on this special Cedarville Stories Podcast, we go back into the archives to play the program with Ken that was recorded two years ago. It was an emotional program that included a cameo appearance by his college tennis coach, Dr. Murray Murdoch.

And, in this program, you'll hear the courage from the coach and bits of wisdom that he is leaving with us today, including: “Life is messy, and yet we have a God who says He will come right alongside you. God promised to join you in the mess. He won’t leave you in spite of anything, and the future is so much better compared to what we’re going through now.”

So, in memory of coach Ken Erny, the Cedarville Stories Podcast team hopes you will enjoy this program.

Well done, good and faithful servant!

A Capital Opportunity

Sage Showers has faced rejection. When she was seeking an internship in Washington, D.C., she heard a lot of 'Nos'. Undaunted, she kept going until she finally heard a 'Yes.' That one positive response has opened one door and perhaps many more doors yet to come.

Showers is a junior political science major from Hammon, Oklahoma, who spent the fall participating in Cedarville's D.C. Semester, where students attend classes and participate in field-related internships. In the past, students have earned some high-profile postings, interning for the Department of Homeland Security, the White House, and the Secret Service.

When Showers finally landed that prized 'Yes,' she found herself interning in the office of U.S. Senator James Lankford from her home state. She talked with constituents, answered phones, and performed other helpful support duties.

But that was just the beginning. When the senator’s office staff assistant took a new job, Showers received a promotion! She served on the senator's staff for the remainder of the fall semester and is now in a great position to find a role in D.C. after graduation in 2023.

Throughout this whirlwind experience, Showers has kept her feet on the ground and her eyes on the Lord.

“A lot of the stress related to D.C. is the spiritual and mental battle," she shared with Cedarville public relations. "People both within government buildings and camping on the building lawns need the Gospel. Living in the city with highly driven people pushed me to know what I'm about.”

Listen to hear Sage share her story on the Cedarville Stories Podcast.

A Heart for Adoption

When Phil Graves graduated from Cedarville University in 1994 with a degree in history, he never anticipated that he would end up meeting his wife eight years later while serving at a small church in Knoxville, Maryland.

Phil and Kristie started dating on August 26, 2002, got engaged nine days later, and by April 12, 2003, the two were married.

The Graves have had an interesting life.

In 2011, he was called to be pastor of First Baptist Church of Brunswick, Maryland, and that’s where they’ve been since.

Phil and his wife have not limited their ministry to the local church, but have faithfully pursued adoption as part of God’s calling for their lives.

Phil and Kristie felt called to pursue international adoption after having three biological children. They connected with an organization called Reece’s Rainbow, which focuses on the adoption of international children with special needs.

In 2017, they adopted their daughter Eliana from Armenia. Eliana was born with spina bifida, causing her to be unable to walk on her own.

Phil thought Eliana completed their family, but his wife felt differently. Kristie came to Phil saying she felt the Lord was calling them to adopt another child.

After 16 months of answered prayers, paperwork, and unforeseen challenges, the Graves adopted their fifth child, Brizi, from Ukraine.

Listen to Phil tell their story on the Cedarville Stories Podcast.

All Things Through Christ

It’s all about relationships for Farris Welsh. So much so that when the United States government needed someone to mend a broken relationship between the U.S. and the King of Thailand in the early 2000s, the Department of Defense called on Farris to be part of the DOD’s relationship-mending team.

Farris’ career as a contract negotiator with the United States government came unexpectedly. Little did she know when she earned a degree in education from Cedarville that her skills would be used to educate foreign leaders and U.S. officials. In this role, she found herself traveling to Europe, the Middle East, and all over Asia. On some of these international trips, Farris took her daughter, Rachel, who eventually followed in her mother’s footsteps.

Rachel was working on her master’s degree when she decided to work at Wellington University in New Zealand. She worked there for a year, traveling to places like India and Bangkok when she had the chance.

But it was the day she was scheduled to fly home that another tragedy struck: a 9.4 magnitude earthquake hit New Zealand, just hours before Rachel’s flight was to leave for San Francisco.

Rachel passed away on February 22, 2011.

Through all the tragedies and hardships Farris has faced in life, she still points back to the Lord. For in Him is the strength to press on.

Reluctant and Faithful

2004 alumnus Philip Miller never wanted to serve as a pastor, and now, he’s serving in one of the most high-profile pulpits in America.

Philip began serving as senior pastor at The Moody Church in downtown Chicago in July 2020. He follows in the footsteps of 16 legendary men of God, including long-time Cedarville friend and guest chapel speaker Dr. Warren Wiersbe, whose personal library is housed in the Warren and Betty Wiersbe Library and Reading Room at the Center for Biblical and Theological Studies.

Philip’s first inclination was not ministry. His grandfather served as a pastor, and the struggles he faced caused Philip to pause. He resisted the Lord’s urgings toward ministry as a high schooler, but he was moved toward his calling during his undergraduate days at Cedarville. While here, he met his wife, Krista, who is also a 2004 graduate.

Philip graduated from Cedarville and pursued further training at Dallas Theological Seminary. He was ordained at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, in 2010. From 2013 to last year, he served at Westwood Baptist Church in Olympia, Washington.

“Cedarville has a special place in my heart because it’s where I was first grounded in the Bible in terms of my education,” he shared with Cedarville University public relations in 2020. “This is God’s story. He is the author and perfecter of our lives and histories. We’re just looking forward to the adventure!”

Thankful for a Bonus Round of Life

In this season when we pause to give thanks to God for all of his many, many blessings, our podcast guest, Dr. Michael McKay, Assistant Professor of Biblical Theology, understands full well that the Lord is his sustainer, provider, and a worker of miracles.

During a laidback and relaxed Saturday morning in June, Michael knew he wasn’t feeling exactly right but wrote it off to morning aches and pains. However, when his left leg went numb, he and wife, Lee-Ann, administrative assistant for the Department of History and Government, knew something big was going on.

Suspecting a stroke, they sped off to Greene Memorial Hospital in Xenia, Ohio. But a CT chest scan showed something far more worrisome – a dissected aorta. An ambulance rushed him to Kettering Medical Center in Kettering, Ohio, for emergency surgery.

Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Peter Pavlina and his team operated on Michael for more than 10 hours, supported by a constant stream of prayers from friends, family, and church family all over the world. Against the odds, Michael survived. He returned to teach classes this fall.

“By all the statistics, I should be dead,” he shared with Cedarville public relations. “Every medical professional in my family or who is a friend of mine . . . told me they did not think they would have seen me again until the presence of the Lord. I’m in the bonus round.”

Love for Others

For Nancy Voorhies, it has always been about people. No matter where she was or what she was doing, people were her priority, although she could have never foreseen how exactly this love of people would play out in her life.

College-aged Nancy had one goal — pursuing the arts. She auditioned at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago for its piano performance program. To her surprise, she didn’t make the cut but was asked to audition for voice instead.

Unlike anything she imagined, Nancy began studying to be an opera singer. But through a turn of events, she found herself using her music more in churches than on the opera stage.

Her dream of performing on stage quickly fizzled as she learned the rigor of traveling from city-to-city was less appealing. She’d rather just talk with people and listen to their stories.

So, while living in the Dayton, Ohio, area, Nancy visited friends at Cedarville University. It was during one of her encounters at Cedarville that she was asked to pursue a job at the university.

As a Canadian, even if she wanted the position, this idea seemed far-fetched. How could a non-US citizen secure a job in America without a green card or work permit?

After a long hiring process and obtaining work permits, Nancy started a job in Advancement as a major gift officer. And, truth be told, she is the first major gift officer hired at Cedarville University.

The position is a perfect fit with Nancy’s skillset and personality. She loves to talk with people, hearing their stories, and building relationships. As a result, two of the most significant gifts have been given to Cedarville University, one being the library of Warren Wiersbe.

Man’s Best Friend

Even at a young age, Jim Mellick was artistically gifted. His Middle School teachers would often ask him to complete drawings to help illustrates lessons during school. It was clear early on that Jim would become a successful artist, though he never could have predicted what that would look like.

Raised in Wellington, Ohio, as a pastor’s kid, Jim set off for college to pursue his passion for art. He always wanted to share his talents through teaching, so he pursued teaching positions at the undergraduate level, so he quickly began his career as an art teacher, teaching at Houghton University, Calvin College, and other schools. It wasn’t until he was 60 years old that he came to Cedarville and started the sculptor program with very few resources.

No matter where Jim was or what he was doing, he was always thinking creatively. Even into retirement, Jim has used art as his expression of thought and beauty.

As a patriot, he has always had great empathy for veterans and their sacrifice for their country, and he wanted to honor them in some way.

But how can you portray the horrors of war in a way that captures your audience, and not turn them away? How can you make hurt beautiful? In his years as an artist, he learned the allegory is a softer way to make a point.

For Jim, the answer was simple: man’s best friend.

Thus, Jim started his Wounded Warrior Dogs art journey. In this collection of carved wounded dogs, man’s best friend, depicts veterans from WWI, WWII, Vietnam, and other wars.

People’s love for dogs adds another level of compassion to this exhibit. Eye-less dogs with prosthetics present an allegory for the horrors of war.

Through his artistic abilities, Jim has created a beautiful display that provokes thought and compassion.

God’s Continued Faithfulness

Success was in sight for a young Will Smallwood, fresh out of the University of Florida with a degree in public relations. How he would use this degree was a little vague for him at the time, so he took a position with a small public relations firm.

His focus, at least initially, was to learn the ropes in public relations and enjoy a successful career.

One of his earliest assignments at the PR firm was to work with a Fortune 500 printing company. Will had no clue about the printing business, and working with a Fortune 500 company was a little daunting.

Little did he know that this position would transform his career outlook from a focus on success to a drive for significance.

Will knew he could be successful in PR, but he was missing the opportunity to make a significant impact in the lives of people.

That’s when Will’s career made a drastic U-turn and he began pursuing a graduate degree at a prominent seminary. While studying, he developed strong relationships with professors and administrators who, eventually, turned the tables on him — they were making a significant impact in his life.

And, it was a life-changing impact!

After graduating from seminary, Will moved into the fundraising world and not only enjoyed the success of his vocation, but he was also enjoying new opportunities to have a significant impact in the lives of people.

Through different circumstances and opportunities, Will found himself at Cedarville University, and subsequently in charge of the One Thousand Days Transformed: The Campaign for Cedarville. This campaign is seeking to expand Cedarville’s capacity, increase scholarship opportunities and decrease student debt, transform live in and out of the classroom, and create a sustainable university that can transform lives for years to come.

Faith and Politics

Dr. Mark Caleb Smith is well known and loved around Cedarville’s campus. He serves as the Chair for the Department of History and Government. In all that he does, Mark emphasizes the importance of integrating faith and politics. He started and directs the Center for Political Studies, which functions as a bridge between Cedarville and the broader world. This includes bringing experts to Cedarville to talk about political issues and sending students out to gain experience in the political arena.

One facet of the Center for Political Studies is the D.C. Semester, an opportunity for students from a variety of disciplines to live and work in the metro D.C. area, gaining real-world experience in politics while interning for organizations like the Heritage Foundation or even the Senate.

Mark is also very popular in the classroom. One class in particular, Film and Politics, has gained national attention, as Batman recently made an appearance, leading to a viral Tik Tok video that has reached over 20 million people. This class explores modern entertainment and how to view it critically, as opposed to passively receive it.

Unexpected Victory

Rachel (Sweeney) Bredeson never expected to end her Cedarville athletic career as an NCAA All-American. But through the encouragement of her cross-country teammates, her parents, and her husband, Rachel ran an outstanding finish for her Cedarville team.

Rachel Bredeson grew up in a Christian home and gave her life to Christ at the young age of 6. With two parents practicing pharmacy, Rachel quickly developed a love of science and healthcare, and she has since followed in her parents’ footsteps and is pursuing a degree in pharmacy at Cedarville University.

As an undergraduate student at Cedarville, Rachel made her faith her own. Through the encouragement of peers, her cross country teammates, and her family, she grew to love her Savior and recommit her life to Christ.

Rachel’s involvement with the cross-country team has had a significant impact on her life and Cedarville experience. Not only did she meet her now-husband, Luke, who was one of her fellow athletes, but she also gained national recognition for her performance running the steeplechase race for Cedarville’s track and field team.

From Radio to TV Production

Mike Davis grew up Sau Paulo, Brazil. While attending an American school, he heard about Cedarville University through a high school friend. As an athlete, Mike had the opportunity to interact with recruiters from Cedarville at a local college fair.

After he moved to the United States, Mike experienced culture shock, which he was not prepared for. He grew up speaking English and learning in an American school, but he didn’t understand the culture he entered as a freshman in college.

Mike joined the men’s soccer team his first year on campus, and it was his soccer coach that made a profound impact on his Cedarville experience.

Mike graduated as a broadcasting and digital media major in 1990. He started his career in broadcasting and radio, but he has since found a passion for telling stories through film. In his professional career, Mike has produced 18 feature films, spent countless hours on television, and has poured into several documentaries.

Through a series of miraculous events, Mike recently found himself as the lead producer of Paul’s Promise, a faith-based film that tells the redemptive story of Paul Holderfield, a racist-turned-Christ-follower at the height of the civil rights movement.

Heart Attacks and Tennis Matches

It was just like any other day when Abe Awabdy and John Vitality headed for the varsity tennis courts at Cedarville University on July 8, 2022. The two have been playing tennis together for 15 years, so this is a rather common occurrence for them. But on this particular day, Abe and John were in the middle of their tennis match when John turned around to see his partner flat on his back in cardiac arrest.

John, an experienced anesthesiologist, sprang into action and began performing cardiac compression. John continued cardiac compressions until help arrived. Don Parvin, security operations manager at Cedarville, brought life-saving supplies, and John administered the defibrillator to Abe. His pulse came back, and he began to move again. Abe made a miraculous recovery thanks to the action of his tennis partner and the first responders at Cedarville University.

According to national statistics, only 12% of people survive the type of heart attack that Abe experienced. God used unexpected circumstances to ensure the right people were at the scene when Abe needed help. Abe’s recovery has given him and his wife, Judy, a renewed sense of thankfulness for life and their family.

Traveling Nurses

Hannah Nocella ‘20, Abbie Nilius ‘19, and Bekah Colon ’19 didn’t know they would end up traveling the country together when they started nursing school at Cedarville University. Hannah and Bekah met during their first nursing class freshman year, and the three of them have been inseparable ever since their sophomore years.

The three nurses started their careers in Dayton, Ohio, working in progressive care, oncology, and pediatrics. They have lived together since their sophomore years of college, but recently decided to embark on a new adventure: travel nursing.

Their first travel nursing assignment was in Lakeland, Florida, Abbie’s hometown. During the summer of 2022, they took contracts in various cities in Ohio. Their third and most recent assignment is in Tucson, Arizona, where the three women are currently working at the same hospital.

Hannah, Abbie, and Bekah recognize the great value of their nursing education at Cedarville University. Healthcare goes far beyond physical healing, and Cedarville prepared them to connect with patients and use nursing as ministry for Christ.

The three nurses have continually sought the Lord’s will in their lives and, Lord willing, will continue to travel together and use nursing for the glory of God.

Unwavering Faithfulness

Daniel Kinniburgh’s faith journey began early and carried him from a small town in the west to Cedarville, Ohio, to Vietnam and back. Dan was in grade school when a missionary from Pennsylvania started pastoring a church in the small Montana town where Dan was from. Dan and his family began attending Pastor Warner’s church, and they came to know the Lord. Pastor Warner’s children went to Cedarville College at the time, and Dan later followed their example.

During his time as a student, Dan met his wife, Carol, and the two were married shortly after graduating in 1969.

Soon after marrying Carol, Dan enlisted in the United States Air Force and served his country in the Vietnam War. Dan flew over 165 combat mission, and he received two distinguished flying crosses for his excellent service in Vietnam. Through the uncertainties of war, Daniel maintained his calm demeanor because he knew the One who is in control. Even as he flew in the infamous Battle of Hanoi, Dan remained firm in his faith, and he was confident the Lord had a plan for his life.

Dan and Carol felt their education from Cedarville equipped them to serve well in their local church, and they are pleased to be the start of a three-generation legacy at Cedarville, with children and grandchildren graduating from and attending the University. Dan’s service in the United States Air Force and to his Lord are a testament to his character and faith.

Called to Care
As a 16-year-old, Jeff Bates worked in a small grocery store in Gladwin, Michigan, his hometown. This store had a small drug store called the Prescription Shop, and Jeff was inspired by its pharmacist’s service to the community. This pharmacist offered himself to the community, and that greatly inspired Jeff to pursue pharmacy in the same way.

Jeff loved science and chemistry, and he wanted to use those interests to actively meet the needs of the people in his community.

Jeff studied pharmacy at Ferris State University and taught there for 13years. After many years serving at this secular institution, he began to feel the Lord preparing him for something different.

But Jeff hasn’t always followed the Lord. During his late teen years, Jeff turned from the Lord and pursued his own desires. But the Lord took a hold of his life, and Jeff realized he needed to offer his life to the Lord, both personally and professionally.

The Lord brought Jeff to Cedarville as the Dean of the School of Pharmacy. Jeff is passionate about identifying and meeting the needs of the people around him, and this is what he seeks to inspire in his students. He wants to make sure his students leave Cedarville not only well educated but also well equipped to provide quality care for their patients.

As a 16-year-old, Jeff Bates worked in a small grocery store in Gladwin, Michigan, his hometown. This store had a small drug store called the Prescription Shop, and Jeff was inspired by its pharmacist’s service to the community. This pharmacist offered himself to the community, and that greatly inspired Jeff to pursue pharmacy in the same way.

Jeff loved science and chemistry, and he wanted to use those interests to actively meet the needs of the people in his community.

Jeff studied pharmacy at Ferris State University and taught there for 13years. After many years serving at this secular institution, he began to feel the Lord preparing him for something different.

But Jeff hasn’t always followed the Lord. During his late teen years, Jeff turned from the Lord and pursued his own desires. But the Lord took a hold of his life, and Jeff realized he needed to offer his life to the Lord, both personally and professionally.

The Lord brought Jeff to Cedarville as the Dean of the School of Pharmacy. Jeff is passionate about identifying and meeting the needs of the people around him, and this is what he seeks to inspire in his students. He wants to make sure his students leave Cedarville not only well educated but also well equipped to provide quality care for their patients.

Sports as Ministry

Whether it was basketball, baseball, or golf, athletics were always an important part of Chris Cross’ life. Originally from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, Chris made sports a very central part of his life, starting in middle school and continuing all the way through college.

In 2014, Chris began serving as Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance at Cedarville University, and in February of 2022, he was promoted to Athletic Director.

Since stepping into the role as Athletic Director, Chris and his team of coaches have set the vision for the upcoming year. He believes students-athletes should seek to “be known as servants of Christ.”

Chris is determined that student athletes represent and promote the brand of Cedarville University. His desire is that when his athletes interact with athletes from other schools, there is no question about what they believe and what they stand for.

As the new Athletic Director, Chris wants to make sure Cedarville is taking care of their own athletes, focuses on their health and well-being. He wants athletes to be known by their personal relationship with Christ and their commitment to serving and honoring him. The athletic department is turning their focus internally to promote academic excellence and spiritual growth.

Equipping Thousands

Mark Klimek taught every nursing student at Cedarville University over his 38-year career before his retirement this summer. His NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) preparation courses have helped thousands of students at Cedarville, across the country, and around the world to pass the test to become registered nurses.

This tremendous legacy began in Youngstown, Ohio. Mark’s dad counseled his son to find a career where he would have job security, and the Lord has provided. He has served well in a number of nursing roles, but for the majority of his career, as an associate professor at the school where he long aspired to serve.

But for Mark, it isn’t about security, but about the one who provides security – the Lord Jesus. As a practicing nurse, he had the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus, to be the listening ear of Jesus, and to be a proclaimer of the good news of Jesus.

As a professor, he has influenced hundreds of Cedarville nursing graduates to view their career as a way to glorify the Lord.

“What better profession could I show Christ in?” Mark shares during the podcast. “If you go through Christ’s life, what did He do? He fed people. We do that as nurses. He gave them something to drink. He talked to them about their fears and anxieties. He quieted them; He calmed them. He sat with them. He rejoiced with them. He cried with them. He laughed with them. Nurses do that all the time. And we get to work with the greatest machine designed by the greatest Creator ever.”

…………

Mark’s NCLEX review course started from small beginnings of just a few Cedarville students and has grown into a program that has helps thousands every year.

Bonnie Rutledge didn’t know where she saw herself professionally, but staying in her small town of 800 people to run a local newspaper was the furthest idea from her mind.

Bonnie grew up in the small town of Jewett, Ohio, went to a private Christian high school, and accepted Christ at a young age. She was eager to begin her college years at Cedarville University when she enrolled in 2016.

While at Cedarville, Bonnie majored in professional writing and information design. When looking for an internship, Bonnie decided to stay in her hometown, taking the only opportunity she could find — a small-town newspaper. Bonnie begged them to let her work for free, and she soon fell in love with local news and the community that surrounds it.

After graduating, getting married, and settling down in her hometown, Bonnie took a job as a fifth-12th grade English teacher and realized just how uninformed her students were about their hometown. She began to see the need in the community for fair and unbiased news.

After turning down the offer multiple times, Bonnie decided to buy her hometown newspaper, the Harrison News Herald. Bonnie strongly believes newspapers have not died yet, and she works tirelessly with her team to reach her readers, bringing the community together through delivering the local news.

Miracles and Compassionate Hearts

It was a Wednesday night church service that changed the trajectory of 8-year-old Echo Vanderwal’s life. After hearing missionaries share about the healthcare they provided for the underprivileged in the Congo, Echo knew she was called to medical missions overseas.

Echo and her husband, Harry, graduated from Cedarville University in 1996. Echo is a physician assistant, and Harry a medical doctor. After finding out she was pregnant with triplets, Echo decided to pursue a career in real estate so she could stay home with her children. Little did she know it was her career success that would help fund their later calling to Eswatini, Africa.

Just one month after Harry finished his residency, they moved to Eswatini, where they were faced with the country’s HIV crisis. People were dying in the streets because no healthcare was accessible to them.

Founded in 2005, The Luke Commission started with Echo, Harry, and their six children. This ministry serves isolated and underserved people of Eswatini with compassionate healthcare, including outpatient and inpatient care.

Although funding has always been a struggle, God has been faithful to their mission. Through the power of prayer and community, the Lord provided them with their “Miracle Campus.” The Miracle Campus was an old dairy farm in a rural part of Eswatini, but the Luke Commission has transformed it into a healthcare haven for the people of Eswatini.

Through all the challenges of funding, the global pandemic, and living in a foreign country, Echo hopes to have a softer heart, to listen more, and be willing to be led more by the Lord and those around her.

When Stuart Li enrolled at Cedarville University, he had his career path laid out in his mind. He was going to be a leader in the financial sector, helping others effectively manage their money and build a nice nest egg for himself.

After all, this is the "American Way."

Little did he know that the life lessons instilled in him from his college professors would be instrumental in Stuart having a course correction, of sorts. Instead of working in the financial sector with personal investments, Stuart has been in the life-investment world business of helping people from around the world benefit from eternal blessings.

Stuart has become a missionary in Nicaragua, and the rewards have far exceeded any financial gain he would have earned in financial investments.

After graduating in 2013 with a business degree, Stuart moved to Nicaragua because he felt God was going to use him to further the Gospel through a career in education. Starting a missionary-run school, located in the more impoverished poverty area of the country, Stuart has begun offering young students a bilingual Christian education that was foreign to the country before his arrival.

Today, Stuart and his wife, Eugenia, are joining forces to change the culture among her native people through a Christ-centered education. They’ve already developed one new school building for the students, and their vision to expand is clear in their minds.

On the surface, they were connected by their love of sports, particularly, basketball. But their relationship goes much deeper than coaching or playing a sport.

Coach Don Callan and Mark Womack share an intense body that is centered around the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which they shared today on the Cedarville Stories Podcast.

Don Callan became Cedarville’s men’s basketball coach in 1953, and he led the Yellow Jackets until his retirement in 1995. Along the way, he proved that he didn’t have to be the best coach on the sideline to get the most out of his players. What was important to Coach Callan was that he modeled, as best he could, his Savior, Jesus Christ.

Never was that more apparent than when Callan was presented with a mentoring opportunity that could change the trajectory of a Yellow Jacket basketball player. Kenny Rucker is arguably one of the best basketball players in the University’s history, but when the star player from Philadelphia shared some choice words with an official, Coach Callan had a decision to make.

First, he sat the young player on the bench for the rest of the game. But it was a late evening visit later that night to Kenny’s residence hall that set the tone for a meaningful relationship that continues to this day.

Coach Callan also turned the basketball world upside down in the final game played in the old Tyler Gymnasium. With the all-time leading scorer on the court, Callan selected Mark Womack to take the final shot in regulation of an NAIA District championship game.

It was a brilliant move for the coach.

Not only did Womack make the 16-foot jump shot, but that shot sent Cedarville to the NAIA national tournament. Oh, and it was the final shot made in Tyler before the program moved to its current venue that is appropriately named after Coach Don Callan.

In the end, basketball was a sport that brought Coach Callan and Mark Womack together. But it was their faith in Jesus that has led to a remarkable relationship to this day.

Present struggles are often essential for future success. This doesn’t make it easy on individuals who are dealing with tragedy or difficult situations in their life.

Becky Dufresne can relate.

In the prime of her life, Becky was active in sports and outdoor recreational opportunities. Her love of ice hockey, which she cultivated as a high school hockey manager for the boy's team at her high school in Vermont, was central to her regular activities.

During hockey season, Becky was often found playing hockey in leagues in the Miami Valley. That all changed, however, when a normal medical checkup changed her world — but not her focus.

Without having any normal signs of a brain tumor, like constant headaches or sharp pains near her skull, Becky was diagnosed with having a brain tumor that would require surgery, actually, seven surgeries to be exact.

Over the course of several years, Becky underwent medical treatment between each surgery. And each time, she knew the God of her faith was with her throughout each treatment. She was not going to ask, “why me?” or question what God was doing in her life.

Becky traveled through her journey with a brain tumor as she did on the ice — with fluid confidence and grace that comes from her relationships with Jesus.

Today, you would never know of the challenges Becky has faced because of the brain tumor. Instead, she uses her story as a way to encourage others and point people to Jesus.

As a young boy, Paul Miller lived in fear. Initially, it was a fear of death. Not necessarily his own death but the death of his parents because he was unsure of what came after death and he didn’t want to live alone.

This fear led to Paul accepting Christ as his Savior.

Still, Paul admits that the fear of man remained strong in his heart as he struggled to speak like every normal pre-school child. What was causing Paul to not speak, like his sister of their friends?

After rounds of medical tests, Paul was diagnosed with oral motor apraxia, a speech inhibiting disorder. This disease kept him from speaking, and doctors told Paul’s parents that he would never be able to speak.

But through the power of Christ, Paul’s faithful mother prayed, “with the help of my God, He will [speak].” And, now, according to Paul, some family members jokingly say they pray, “Paul will not speak as much.”

Paul graduated from Cedarville University in May and is now pursuing his passion of making movies. Throughout college, Paul began developing a network of relationships that could pave the way for a career in the Christian film industry.

And, knowing Paul, he will pursue his passion with boldness instead of the fear that gripped him as a young, speechless boy.

If you live long enough, you are bound to experience some level of grief. It’s inevitable.

So, how can you deal with grief? Betsy Linnell is a clinical counselor who strives each day to come alongside people who are dealing with difficulties. But for Betsy, helping others at a time of immense grief for herself has been difficult.

Betsy’s pain comes from the final month of walking with her mom (Mama Linnell) through hospice care, and, ultimately, her passing in late May. As painful as the situation was for Betsy and her family, she is thankful for the lessons her mom taught her throughout her life and for the opportunity to walk the final steps with her mom.

One way Betsy chose to deal with her mom’s passing was to record today’s podcast and share the program with her mom, just a week or two before her passing. Betsy wanted her mom to hear the program and benefit from the conversation. At the end of her listening to the program, “Mama Linnell” gave two thumbs up in approval.

And, some of these lessons will never leave Betsy — both figuratively and physically. You see, in the final month of life of “Mama Linnell,” Betsy made sure she would never forget her mom’s wisdom to “just breathe,” a statement taught decades ago.

For it was during some difficult times for young Betsy that her mom encouraged her to keep on moving forward and “just breathe.” Today, Betsy has the phrase tattooed on her forearm in her mother’s handwriting. So, whenever Betsy finds herself in a difficult situation, or grief, she is reminded by her mom to “just breathe.”

Today, Betsy is breathing comfortably knowing her mom is with Jesus.

Transformation. We see it all around us through creation. It’s especially noticeable when winter turns to spring and the withered flowers from the cold season springs to life in a bouquet of colors.

The same is true in the lives of everyday people. And, the ultimate transformation takes place when a broken, or fallen, heart is changed and moved toward a relationship with Jesus Christ.

For Ben Johnson and Carissa Johnson — no relation — this summer was a transformational period in their lives as they traveled across the United States singing and worshiping as part of the University’s first-ever Transformational Tour.

Ben and Carissa, members of the HeartSong ministry team, believe their lives were dramatically changed because of the tour, even though their focus was to minister to the hundreds of people who attended the Transformed Tour.

Embarking on the 26-day, 10,000-mile Transformed Tour, Ben and Carissa returned to Cedarville with a sharper focus on the Gospel. From their first event at Chapel Pointe Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to the time they worshipped with fellow tour participants at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, the power of the Holy Spirit fell upon them like never before.

Clearly their experiences were mountain-top opportunities that brought them closer to Christ. Or, as Ben shares in the program, “I became bolder about sharing my faith with anyone, wiser in taking advantage of the opportunities to witness; therefore, becoming closer to Christ.”

For a tour that Ben and Carissa intended to be on the giving end of love, grace, and mercy to hundreds of people who attended their programs, the script was flipped at nearly every stop. As they reflected on their tour, both Ben and Carissa felt incredibly ministered to by believers from coast to coast.

It’s a classic example of the body of Christ working together to strengthen the cause of Christ.

Christ Is All He Needs

For Paul Dixon, from the beginning of his relationship with God through all the decades of his leadership at Cedarville to his retirement years when he continues to impact the lives of many, Christ is all he needs.

Dr. Dixon was first known on the campus of Cedarville College as a frequent speaker in chapel. He was often invited to preach by then-president Dr. James T. Jeremiah, with whom he had a lifelong friendship and for whom he had a deep admiration.

There’s an iconic image of Dr. Dixon walking side by side with Dr. Jeremiah in 1978, when Dr. Dixon was asked to serve as president. The image shows the two great men of faith in step with each other, which was reflected in their transition and their relationship with each other through the years.

Dr. Dixon admits he had not served in leadership, other than in his personal life, his family, and his evangelistic ministry, so he was taken aback at the Board of Trustees’ decision to appoint him to lead Cedarville. Dr. Dixon promised his wife, Pat, they would commit two years to see if the Lord’s hand was on their decision. After 25 years serving as president and 18 years as chancellor, it appears His answer was clear.

For Dr. Dixon, his commitment to follow the Lord into the leadership of Cedarville was an act of faith. The song, “Christ Is All I Need,” so closely linked to Dr. Dixon and his time at Cedarville, continues to echo that continual dependence, which he and Pat harmonize to close the podcast.

“We took as our verse when we started dating Psalm 37:23, ‘The steps of a good man are ordered by God: and He delighteth in his way,’” Dr. Dixon shares earlier in the show. “And (Pat) had that engraved on my wedding band. It’s been that way all these years. He’s ordered our steps; it’s the sovereignty of God.”

Dr. Dixon’s 40th anniversary of servant-leadership at Cedarville was celebrated in 2018.

Marvelous Mayor Mays

Maybe 2008 Cedarville alumna Sarah Mays should wear a giant ‘M’ on the front of her clothing for mom, mentor, and, last but not least — mayor.

Sarah wears many hats. She is an amazing wife to her husband, Adam, and marvelous mom to three kids — Freddy, Layla, and August.

She is a ministry assistant at her lifelong church home, Emmanuel Baptist in Xenia, Ohio, where she also invests in the spiritual growth of the kids and young ladies of the church.

Sarah and Adam have also been faithful foster parents to many children over the years.

And then, in November 2015, Sarah’s life took a new direction when she was elected to serve as a member of the Xenia City Commission. She became mayor of Xenia in 2017 and was reelected in 2021.

Sarah has a deep love for her hometown, and she desires to live out her faith in the way she cares for her family, her church, and her city. Even while she seeks to improve the city where she grew up and serve well as its public face, she is also a mom who makes trips to the grocery store.

Is there anything Sarah can’t do?

“My kids think I can do anything,” Sarah shared with Cedarville public relations. “They think I have superpowers.”

Sarah’s remarkable combination of interests and abilities were featured in a Cedarville PR story shortly after her election as mayor.

God’s Timing and Provision

Why would a man happily immersed in a great family life, fulfilling ministry, and a job he loved make a major move and uproot all this blessing? Because the Giver of all that blessing had called, and His timing and provision can be trusted.

1999 alumnus Jason Grahame is Director of Cedarville’s up-and-coming physician assistant (PA) program, which is scheduled to begin in 2023, pending external approvals. Before his new role, he was a PA in private practice and also Associate Program Director for the Physician Assistant Program at Eastern Virginia Medical School.

But when he spoke to Cedarville President Dr. Thomas white in 2019, and found out that his alma mater was thinking about a PA program, the wheels were set in motion for him and his wife, Charity, and their seven children, ages 2½ to 17, to make a major life change.

Even though COVID-19 impacted their transition to Cedarville, the Grahame family has been welcomed by long-time friends to the campus community. Even with the PA program, Jason has learned that the Lord is sovereign over the process, and he has learned, just as he did with God’s initial call, to trust the Lord’s provision and timing, not his own.

Jason’s wife, Charity, is a constant source of encouragement and prayer support, reminding him of inspiring verses such as Isaiah 40:31.

Jason and the new PA program are part of Cedarville’s new School of Allied Health, established this summer.

Compassion Defines Greatness

Mike Weller has had a phenomenal career. As associate professor of athletic training, he has instructed, mentored, and coached hundreds of Cedarville students into careers that span high school, college, and professional sports. He is helping lead Cedarville’s program to new heights with the start of the Master of Athletic Training degree in June 2022.

Beyond Cedarville, he has served as the staff athletic trainer for the Cincinnati Bengals training camp since 2011. He also has worked for the National Football league as the eyes in the sky during Bengals football games to alert team medical staff about potential concussions.

By all earthly accounts, it would be easy to conclude that Mike is a great athletic trainer. But Mike himself learned, through a Billy Graham crusade, that greatness is not defined by career accomplishments.

It was during that evangelistic event in 2000 where Mike, who had been raised in a Christian home and made a commitment to Christ at a young age, was confronted by the fact that Jesus was more of a side relationship for him, someone who was there but for Mike, not someone at the center of his life. He acknowledged that he was not following Jesus as Lord and went forward to rededicate his life to Christ.

Since that moment, showing the kindness and compassion of Jesus has been the driving motivation of his life.

“A great athletic trainer operates with compassion,” he offers during the podcast. “They see a need but then they look for a way to impact that life, whether it’s on the football field, on the sidelines, or when someone comes to us with an eating disorder or a young lady who’s pregnant and she’s exploring having an abortion. As believers, we have the opportunity to act in that healthcare setting to really impact their lives, and that’s changed everything I’ve done.”

The Special Kindness of a Social Worker’s Heart

She’s a faculty member in Cedarville University’s social work program. She works part-time at Crossroad Hospice and Dayton Children’s Hospital.

In the end, however, Melissa Brown is honored to have a front-row seat to the issues facing Americans on a daily basis. These social work situations are not always nice and neat. There’s a lot of baggage and heartache that she views on a regular basis, but this offers the jovial and focused professional the opportunity to interact as a licensed social worker at the most critical times in people’s lives.

As one of four children in her family, Melissa learned from an early age to work together, communicate with family, and embrace the blessings of the Lord. This training ground has proven to be instrumental in her professional career as she teaches future social workers.

One case, in particular, is regularly at the forefront of Melissa’s mind when she’s interacting with clients or teaching her college students. It was when a young child, presumably battling ongoing seizures, was actually physically abused and died from his injuries. It’s a case she can’t get out of her mind, even many years later.

In this case, she goes to one of her favorite Bible verses. Proverbs 15:3, reads, “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere keeping watch over the evil and the good.”

Melissa takes comfort in knowing that while she may not know exactly why this young child died, or who abused him, she knows her heavenly Father knows and will make the situation right. This brings her great comfort, and it helps her to be a better faculty member for her social work students.

“That situation was very troubling for me, but I know that I am not immune to sinful patterns,“ said Melissa. “That could have been me, so I am not in a position of judgment, but rather, in a position of trusting my Savior because He is the ultimate judge.

Trusting the One Who Holds the Future

Classes at 3 a.m. Worshipping with chapel from behind a computer screen halfway around the planet. A worldwide pandemic delaying her Cedarville experience for a year. Charis Chen has persevered through a number of trials to pursue her degree in psychology.

Charis, a junior from Malaysia, was set to begin classes at Cedarville in fall 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to adjust her plan. While taking classes online at strange times of the day – Malaysia is 12 hours ahead of eastern standard time – she found ways to stay engaged while battling sleepiness and fatigue.

Even online, she was able to connect with fellow students over text messaging and communicated with her professors about slide shows that were hard to read or class discussions that were difficult to hear.

Through the difficulties, Charis never wavered in her belief that God wanted her to study psychology at a school that prioritized the Gospel and the Word of God. She knew that helping people emotionally and mentally had to be anchored in the Good News of God’s saving work through Christ.

Now she is engaged in a research project on the topic of grief related to the sudden and unexpected passing of her advisor and professor, Dr. Michael Firmin, who went to be with the Lord on October 27, 2020. Charis’ psychology instructor in Malaysia was taught by Dr. Firmin, and she credits his influence as a significant factor for her pursuing a degree at Cedarville.

“God is a good God who holds the best of reality in His hands,” Charis shares during the podcast. “Even over the rest of my life before Cedarville, I saw how He arranges things in ways I wouldn’t have planned, and they turned out great. I know that wherever He puts me, He has a purpose for it.

“I started watching the chapel livestream the week before everyone was sent home. Around that time, Dr. White started repeating this phrase in chapel every day, “God is faithful; you can trust Him.” That was a big part of what I held onto.”

……….

Dr. Michael Firmin was featured on the Cedarville Stories podcast in 2020.

Hannah Bradley is a walking, talking, dancing miracle.

Hannah, a sophomore theatre major from Pittsboro, Indiana, was 15 years old when she contracted a life-threatening case of bacterial meningitis and was placed in a medically induced coma. Her parents weren’t sure if she would survive. They surrendered their beloved daughter to the care and will of the Lord.

After 12 days in the hospital, Hannah woke up. She would spend 50 days total in two different hospitals. Her sickness left her with stroke-like symptoms in her brain, which required three months in therapy so she could relearn how to walk.

Nowadays, Hannah is walking, talking, laughing, dancing, and living the life the Lord has given her to live. She played the title role in the fall production of “Anne of Green Gables” and participated in this year’s winter musical in the chorus and ensemble.

Hannah knows she is the recipient of a second chance to dance.

“I am very independent; I struggle with asking for help,” she shared with Cedarville public relations. “But after my coma, I couldn’t walk, brush my hair, put on my own glasses.

“I have a picture of my dad holding my head up when my neck was too weak. I became dependent on others and on God. He taught me to submit, depend, and trust through that experience. In the past, God’s sovereignty had always scared me. Now, it is one of my favorite things about God’s character.”

…….

Hannah’s story was first featured by Cedarville public relations in January 2022.

Finish Line

How does a young man from halfway around the world, with no knowledge of Cedarville University before his mom started receiving University emails, end up as one of the most well-known, well-loved, and respected students on campus? If you ask Rufus Mathew, his answer will be quick and straightforward: Jesus.

Rufus arrived as a freshman computer science major at Cedarville in 2018. How his mom ended up on a Cedarville email list is still a mystery, but he’s glad that she did. As he began researching this unknown (at the time) Christian university in the middle of Ohio, 7,000 miles from home, he discovered Cedarville had an outstanding cybersecurity program, recognized by the National Security Agency. He was intrigued. He applied, and the rest is history.

Coming to Cedarville has exceeded his greatest expectations. Not only has he learned in a top tier computer science program, but he immediately connected with a supportive community of fellow Christians who lift up the name of Christ and seek to honor Him in every aspect of life. He was voted freshman class president in 2018, a sign of what was yet to come. He graduates this year as president of the Student Government Association.

Rufus credits the Lord every step of the way for the journey that brought him to Cedarville and the journey that awaits him after commencement.

“My mom would bring up Cedarville every now and then because the mission of the University stood out to her: ‘For the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ,’” he shared with Cedarville marketing and communications recently. “The people around me have pushed me closer to Christ continually, and motivated me not just academically and professionally, but spiritually, too. My hope is to be able to give back to a school that has richly blessed me over the last 1,000 days.”

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Rufus’ first-year experiences and personal story were featured in a story by Cedarville public relations in 2018.

Catalytic Spark of Movement

Mover and a shaker. Change agent. Growth agent. Whatever you might call Joel Wayne, lead pastor at Chapel Pointe in Hudsonville, Michigan, one thing is certain: When he steps into church leadership, God works in amazing ways to transform the culture, mission, and soul-winning of churches.

Joel is a builder. He learned that quickly as a business major at the University of Georgia. But in his first job at Nabisco, which he began at the tender age of 17, he found himself talking with co-workers more about their lives and how the bread of life could bring them hope, forgiveness, and joy.

As he has been led to three very different communities and churches during his career, Joel has focused on one goal: help people find their job and comfort and hope in Jesus Christ, not in religious traditions and routines. Jesus is the who should be the focus of our affections and attention.

Joel is taking that message beyond the walls of Chapel Pointe to transform the mission and culture of churches in his community and all over the country through his Be the Church initiative. Joel wants to help the church move beyond territorial ministry pursuits to become one body proclaiming the transforming power of the Gospel.

With that in mind, Cedarville’s Transformed Tour will be making a stop in Hudsonville on May 11, 2022. Joel, who is a member of the Board of Trustees, sees in Cedarville a similar desire to make much of Christ in everything we do, and to follow Him in making a movement of disciples reaching the world.

“I believe that Be the Church and Cedarville University is called to be a catalytic spark of renewal and revival through the Holy Spirit,” he shares during the podcast. “Pray for the school to experience that catalytic spark and to be a catalytic spark of movement that is greater than anything we’ve known before.”

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Joel is a frequent chapel speaker, having spoken most recently on March 16, 2022, on Hebrews 5.

A Capital Opportunity

When Sage Showers sought out an internship in Washington, D.C., last fall, she faced lots of rejection. Undaunted, she pressed on. She finally received a ‘yes,’ and that one positive response has opened what could be many potential doors of opportunity.

Showers, a junior political science major from Hammon, Oklahoma, spent the fall in our nation’s capital as part of D.C. Semester, where students attend classes twice a week and participate in field-related internships during the day. Participants have interned for the White House, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Secret Service.

Showers had the privilege of interning in the office of U.S. Senator James Lankford from her home state. She welcomed visitors to the senator’s office, talked with constituents, answered phones, and performed other helpful support responsibilities.

But when the senator’s office staff assistant took a new job, Showers was the recipient of an unexpected and very welcome promotion. She was able to serve on staff the remainder of fall semester and is now in a great position to find a role in D.C. after she graduates in 2023.

Throughout this exciting, whirlwind experience, Showers kept her feet on the ground and her eyes on the Lord.

“Living in the city with highly driven people pushed me to know what I'm about,” she shared with Cedarville public relations. “A lot of the stress related to D.C. is the spiritual and mental battle. People both within government buildings and camping on the building lawns need the Gospel.”

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Sage and her D.C. semester classmates were featured in a story about the restart of the program after it was paused in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

S6 Episode 15 │ Jessica Wiebe

Memories of Home, Horrors of War

Memories of home: a familiar restaurant visited after church every week, the crowded public transportation and redefinition of personal space, the bustling and beautiful downtown, the smell of bortsch cooked up by mama, spending time with dear friends. For Jessica Wiebe, her heart returns to these beautiful sights, smells, and emotions when she thinks of Ukraine, which makes the Russian invasion of her home country even more devastating.

Jessica, a freshman social work major at Cedarville, lived in Kyiv, Ukraine, the capital, from age 6 with her missionary parents. She attended an English-speaking international school from third through 12th grade and began her journey at Cedarville last fall.

In December, she became aware of the Russian troop buildup on the Ukrainian border. Over the next two months, she followed the latest developments closely, sharing disbelief and sorrow with fellow Ukrainian missionary kids at Cedarville, like junior international studies major and podcast guest Abigail Rist, and keeping tabs with her parents, Chad and Leanna Wiebe, working in Warsaw, Poland, with
Send International, and family living in Odessa.

When the bombs began falling on Kyiv on February 24, a flurry of text messages began and hasn’t really stopped. She’s touched base with friends still in Kyiv, who took shelter in the bottom of a drained-out indoor pool to avoid spraying glass and debris. She and Abigail have kept in close contact through text messages, phone calls, coffee meetups, and meals.

What counsel does Jessica offer for podcast listeners not sure what to do?

“Have intentionality about watching the news, as hard as that it can be, and may be overwhelming,” she says during the podcast. “Just staying aware of the situation and being sensitive to what Ukrainians are going through. And continue to pray. People here may feel like, ’I’m not sure what we can do; it seems like all that’s left is to pray,’ but prayer is so powerful. Praying individually and praying in groups is so important. And asking what ways you can donate. There are so many organizations and places to donate to provide humanitarian aid.”

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To support Jessica’s parents, and their Ukrainian refugee work in Poland, contribute to Send International.

Wars and Rumors of Wars

Is the conflict in Ukraine the beginning of World War III?

According to Dr. Glen Duerr, associate professor of international studies, while the illegal Russian invasion of its neighbor to the south began as a localized conflict, it has the potential to become something far larger and more dangerous.

While there is much yet to happen in world history prior to the return of Christ, he sees this military offensive fitting Jesus’ description of “wars and rumors of wars” (Matt. 24:6).

Europe has experienced a sustained period of peace since the end of World War II, and no country there has any interest in attacking a much larger and better-equipped Russian military. Yet, a long history of invasions from the West feeds the rationalizations of Vladimir Putin.

Such insight regarding the international stage may not have been expected from young Glen, an aspiring professional soccer player who played semi-pro ball till his passions began shifting from the pitch to the classroom. He has been a professor of international studies at Cedarville since 2012.

His personal history is international as well, having been born in the United Kingdom, then moving to Canada as a youth, attending college, and then emigrating to the U.S. where he earned a Ph.D. in political science at Kent State University. He is a citizen of all three countries.

While the political world and its complicated workings keep his able mind engaged, it was the Lord Jesus who captured his heart on July 2, 2000, during a tour of southeast Asia with an Athletes in Action traveling soccer team.

With the conflict in Ukraine and the promise of Jesus that such situations will only grow and worsen as His return draws near, what are Christians to do?

“A biblical worldview gives us a way to think through it, and it also hastens us to share the Gospel, to be the hands and feet of Jesus,” he shares during the podcast. “We should speak truth and speak boldly about what Vladimir Putin is doing, and how it’s illegal and it violates international law, but most importantly, it violates the 10 Commandments and God’s provisions for how we should live and know that He is the ultimate judge. One day there will be a judgment for all this.”

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Glen is a popular and much sought-after source by the media. Back in 2020, Cedarville public relations celebrated Glen’s 500th interview.

Escaping a War Zone

Leah Harper had dreamed of serving as a missionary since she was a kid. When she graduated from Cedarville in 2020 and then from The Ohio State University in 2021 with a master’s degree, she combined that long-held desire with her new degrees and moved to Romania to serve as a social worker.

She could not have expected that she would find herself helping refugees fleeing a war in a neighboring country. But she counts it all joy as she serves people whose lives have been devastated and changed forever.

Leah serves with charities that care for vulnerable populations in the city of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Her normal role of helping orphans and young adults who aged out of the orphanage suddenly pivoted in late February when Russian troops crossed the border with Ukraine. More than 3 million Ukrainian people have fled their home country since the beginning of the war.

Go here to support the work that Leah is doing to help refugees: worldmethodist.org/donate/Ukraine.

Leah is serving refugees at a community center, where they are being housed and fed without cost. Some of the Ukrainians are using the community center as temporarily shelter on their way to family and friends, while others are depending on the center for connections to a host family or an apartment.

While she is helping with meals, dishes, and keeping rooms clean, Leah is also using her social work skills to listen well to people who are struggling to make sense of all that’s happened in just a few short weeks.

“Most of these refugees are scared, hoping for this conflict to end soon, but scared of what they will go back to if they return to their homes,” Leah shared with Cedarville public relations. “These people are not directly involved in this conflict apart from where they live, yet their lives have been uprooted or ended.”  

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Leah’s efforts to help Ukrainian refugees was featured by Cedarville PR shortly after the war began.

Four Times the Change

The Clark quadruplets have been together their whole lives, attending the First Baptist Church in Mt. Washington, Kentucky, where their dad, Jason, is senior pastor. Minus one. All the Clark kids are at Cedarville except for Logan, who is pursuing his passion for aviation at Eastern Kentucky University.

It was the first time all four of them were not in the same place, and it was also the first of many transitions for these quads. Once Lauren, Landon, and Lucas arrived at Cedarville last fall, the transitions continued – new schedules, new routines, new and challenging courses, new friends, and new activities.

But for all the changes, Lauren, Lucas, and Landon are grateful for the preparation they received from their parents, who taught them how to be responsible – doing their own laundry, handling their own chores, managing their time – and how to stay connected amid life’s increasing demands. They share at least one meal a week, catch up with Logan on a video call regularly, and Landon and Lucas are currently taking Old Testament Literature together.

Each of them is discovering God’s plan for their lives: Lauren in business management, Landon in civil engineering, and Lucas in worship. Lauren and Landon are hoping to use their degrees to serve on the mission field, while Lucas wants to pour into the church.

Any one of these four special students would make a parent proud, but for Jason and Tina Clark, it’s four times the thanksgiving for all the Lord is doing in their children’s lives. And the Clark kids are grateful for how their parents loved them and prepared them for life and for a University where they can experience excellent career preparation and be encouraged and challenged in their relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

“For me right now in this current season of life, I’m seeking to give glory to God by putting off sin and putting off unrighteousness and pursuing godliness,” noted Lauren during the podcast. “I can’t think of a better place to do that than here at Cedarville in chapel and in classes and in the Word each and every day.”

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The Clark quadruplets were first featured in a story by Cedarville PR in July 2021.

Embracing Life With No Hands

Sophomore psychology major Marissa Conrad is a typical Cedarville undergrad in many ways. She has a wide array of interests and gifts — she’s a talented artist, enjoys knitting, and plays the cello. Her parents made sure she gave everything a try growing up, from rock climbing to football to skiing.

And while all of that is notable, it becomes remarkable when you consider that Marissa has enjoyed all that life has to offer without hands.

While Marissa has never let her disability define what she can do, it has impacted the way she’s related with others, including the Lord. But when she came to Cedarville, she found a community where she could process the challenges of life, which has also included her parents’ divorce and her mom’s battle with cancer.

While still soft spoken, she’s now outspoken that disabilities should not hold someone back. And she’s making a difference in the lives of others, receiving messages from those encouraged by her joyful embrace of the life God has given her.

“The more people kept asking me about my disability, the more I was accepting of my differences,” Conrad explained to Cedarville PR earlier this academic year. “It has been eye-opening to understand that God created me like this for a purpose.”

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Read Marissa’s story that appeared on the Cedarville University website in December.

Buzzer Beater Found His Beat

If he closes his eyes, he can see it all like it happened yesterday: coming off a screen, he drives toward the basket, receives the pass, stops and pops from 15 feet, then swish. Pandemonium. Ears ringing from the cheers. And Mark Womack’s name is forever connected with one of Yellow Jacket men’s basketball biggest victories, a giant 80-78 district championship W over Defiance College that sent Cedarville to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national tournament in 1981.

Mark’s famous jumper was also the last field goal made in what was then the Tyler Gymnasium, which is now Tyler Digital Communication Center. The following season, Cedarville basketball would begin playing home games in Stranahan Gymnasium, located in what was then the new Callan Athletic Center. Callan is currently undergoing an expansion and renovation as part of One Thousand Days Transformed: The Campaign for Cedarville.

Beyond his career in basketball, he was also a golfer on two NAIA tournament teams for Cedarville.

For Mark, his playing days were only the beginning of a lifetime connection with Cedarville athletics. Mark is the first and only sports information director in Cedarville history, now in his 39th year in that role, and he is also the long-time play-by-play voice of Yellow Jacket basketball. He was awarded the Clarence “Ike” Pearson Award in 2000 by the NAIA-Sports Information Directors Association for his outstanding achievements as an SID.

He’s sought the Lord about serving in other places or even in other capacities at the University. But for Mark, he’s found his groove, as sportscasters like to say of players performing at the top of their game. He loves where the Lord has him, he has forever friends that he made during undergraduate days, and he sees how God has provided him a way to make a difference through his passion for Cedarville and sports and his love for writing and broadcasting.

“The Lord has given me specific talents and a way to communicate and to use my interest in athletics to share about what Cedarville is, who we are, and who our students are,” he shares during the podcast. “It’s just a daily prayer to the Lord, ‘God, how do you want to use me today?’ My only hope is in Him, bringing all that together to bring praise to Him.”

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Mark Womack and Jim Clark, assistant sports information director, were honored with the inaugural Great Midwest Athletic Conference Sports Information Director (SID) Staff of the Year Award in 2020.

Where Life Matters Most

Cedarville Artist-in-Residence Matt Papa has toured with Keith and Kristyn Getty, written songs like His Mercy Is More that are sung in churches across the country and around the world, and his friends include Christian musical artists Matt Redman and Matt Boswell.

As great as these opportunities and connections have been, Matt knows that what really matters the most are the people closest to him and the impact he’s having on their lives.

In fact, for Matt, it was his youth pastor whose care and investment had the greatest influence on him as a 12- to 15-year-old playing video games, hanging out, and eating pizza. His youth pastor invited Matt into his life and spent time with him, which created space for God’s grace to take hold.

It was about that time that music took hold of Matt’s life also. He started playing in church. He had his own band and toured as a young man and has become a songwriter and author of modern-day hymns.

And now he’s influencing the next generation of singers and songwriters in his role as an artist-in-residence at Cedarville. He has performed in chapel and at special events, lectured in music classes, and shares about Cedarville on his social media channels.

It’s a good reminder for Matt to be faithful to God’s call in the personal connections, whether it’s spending time with his wife, Lauren, and their five kids, playing pickleball with his buddies, responding to the person who writes him on Facebook about one of his songs, or encouraging an aspiring singer-songwriter at Cedarville.

“A lot of people are respected by the masses and disrespected by the people closest to them; that’s not what you want,” he shares during the podcast. “You want the people closest in your life to know you, trust you, and respect you. I hope in my married life, my role as a father, I hope that is where I give glory to God more than anywhere else.”

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Matt shared about himself and his hopes for his artist-in-residence role at Cedarville in a story prior to the beginning of the 2021-22 school year.

Voice for God, Heart of Forgiveness

Beth Cram Porter, Chair of the Department of Music and Worship, has the voice of an angel, the whistle of Ohio’s state bird, and a powerful story of forgiveness that sings God’s praise.

Beth came to Cedarville in 1997 and has impacted hundreds of voice and music students since. Her reputation for loving her students generously and unconditionally has earned her the endearing moniker of Mama Porter. And as for that whistle, she really can very closely approximate the song of a cardinal. Just ask her if you see her.

Her vocal talent has made her a memorable fixture for the annual Community Christmas Celebration. One of her chapel performances was so enthralling that it earned her an invite as the featured soloist for the National Day of Prayer at the White House in 2004, where she sang for fellow Texan President George W. Bush.

But beyond the opportunities and accolades, Beth has faced great loss and trials as she underwent a devastating divorce. She learned deep lessons about God’s faithfulness and the power of forgiveness, which she has now shared with hundreds and hundreds of students.

Through it all, the Lord is the one conducting this mysterious and amazing concert of her life.

“I tell the Lord often and have told Him for a long time, ‘Lord, please use me, but don’t let me know it,’” she offers during the podcast. “As an artist, it’s very easy to become all-consumed with self. I don’t want to be able to take any credit for anything that is obviously the work of God.”

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Enjoy Beth Porter’s amazing talent on display at the annual Community Christmas Celebration.

Unorthodox Journey With a Faithful Lord

Rapper, basketball player, graduate student. Tytist Dean, M.B.A. ’23 has a wide array of interests and talents. But there’s been one guide throughout his unorthodox journey: Jesus.

Tytist played his last high school game without a college offer. As the clocked ticked to double zero, the crushing reality that this part of his life was likely over began to sink in. He wept with his parents.

As it turned out, his hoop dreams were not finished. A family friend connected Tytist with a Division 1 program where he joined as a preferred walk-on. He finished his undergrad in three years with eligibility remaining, and he was offered a scholarship at Cedarville, where he is pursuing his M.B.A.

In the midst of his basketball odyssey, Tytist, whose dad is a Christian hip-hop artist and his mom a spoken word poet, pursued his own creative interests. He put out his first extended play (EP) rap album in high school. He has performed at youth rallies and was featured during Cedarville’s Moonlight Madness basketball season kickoff in November.

Tytist isn’t sure how everything will work out in his life; he still wants to pursue music and would like to either play basketball professionally or coach. But he does know the One who holds the future, and in that he finds peace.

“Being able to go through the experience that I have been through and not necessarily be worried about what’s to come, that has been how I’ve gotten where I’ve gotten,” Tytist shares during the podcast. “Being able to stay consistent with that and just trust His plan is always going to be the best for me.”

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Tytist shared his life’s odyssey with Cedarville PR in a story that appeared on the Cedarville website January 17.

Marvelous Mayor Mays

Maybe 2008 Cedarville alumna Sarah Mays should wear a giant ‘M’ on the front of her clothing for mom, mentor, and, last but not least — mayor.

Sarah wears many hats. She is an amazing wife to her husband, Adam, and marvelous mom to three kids — Freddy, Layla, and August.

She is a ministry assistant at her lifelong church home, Emmanuel Baptist in Xenia, Ohio, where she also invests in the spiritual growth of the kids and young ladies of the church.

Sarah and Adam have also been faithful foster parents to many children over the years.

And then, in November 2015, Sarah’s life took a new direction when she was elected to serve as a member of the Xenia City Commission. She became mayor of Xenia in 2017 and was reelected in 2021.

Sarah has a deep love for her hometown, and she desires to live out her faith in the way she cares for her family, her church, and her city. Even while she seeks to improve the city where she grew up and serve well as its public face, she is also a mom who makes trips to the grocery store.

Is there anything Sarah can’t do?

“My kids think I can do anything,” Sarah shared with Cedarville public relations. “They think I have superpowers.”

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Sarah’s remarkable combination of interests and abilities were featured in a Cedarville PR story shortly after her election as mayor.

Five years ago tomorrow, on January 20, 2017, Logan Cole’s life changed forever.

Logan, who is a senior IT management major, was then a senior at West Liberty High School near Urbana, Ohio, about 40 miles north of Cedarville. On a school day where he was prepping for a mock trial, he headed to the restroom to check his hair. That’s when everything changed in an instant. As he came around the dividing wall between the restroom and hallway, he was shot in the chest and back by a classmate.

Logan fell to the ground immediately, breaking his front teeth. After the shooter blasted the shotgun in the adjacent hallway, without anyone being harmed, he returned to the restroom to reload. Logan pleaded with the shooter to get help and not to hurt anyone else. When the principal and assistant principal rushed into the bathroom, the shooter handed the gun over, and what could have been an even larger tragic school shooting came to a relatively quick conclusion.

Logan spent 15 days at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus and endured multiple surgeries and three months in a neck brace. Nightmares disrupted his sleep in the first month following the shooting, and he still has roughly 200 bird shot pellets in his body, which require biannual checkups to determine the lead level in his body. But his mindset is good. He has occasional bouts of mild depression and being in a crowd can be difficult for him, but overall, he’s healthy spiritually, physically, and mentally. And he credits the Lord for his healing and recovery.

Logan testified at his assailant’s sentencing hearing and told his classmate that he forgave him. The shooter is now serving 23 ½ years in prison.

As remarkable as Logan’s survival has been, his faith and confidence in God during this devastating trial has been equally as inspiring. He and his principal and assistant principal have spoken in school districts that have experienced active shooter tragedies. Logan is grateful for the story he has to share.

“I think I was the right person for that situation because of what God has done for me and the experiences He’s given me,” he shares during the podcast. “I’ve been able to share my faith and how God helped me and my community get through that situation with people who are grieving. I look forward to using the story God has given me to help expand His kingdom and help people get through hard times.”
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Cedarville public relations first covered Logan’s story when he arrived here as a freshman.

Living for God on the Job

The ways of God are often surprising, regularly amazing, and always inspiring. Just ask Dr. Daryl Smith, Associate Professor of Management. And as Daryl has discovered, this amazement and inspiration with the ways of the Lord should permeate all of life, especially in our careers, where a great majority of our waking hours are spent.

Before his tenure at Cedarville, Daryl met his friend and brother in Christ, Chuck Proudfit, who inhabits this theme. Proudfit had a career in corporate America that spanned several big-name multinational players, such as Procter & Gamble and LensCrafters. But at the beginning of his career, after earning his degree from Harvard, he had an epiphany that his work life as a source of purpose would be found wanting. And this led him on a spiritual search, which eventually led to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

As a student of the Bible, and in particular the New Testament book of Acts, Proudfit saw how God changed the world through believers who brought their faith into every aspect of life. He wanted to see this in his own life and formed a small group of about a dozen like-minded Christian professionals for accountability and encouragement to live for the Lord in their professions. The life group at work quickly grew beyond 300 members.

That group has today become At Work on Purpose (AWOP), a decentralized organic network of spiritual influence for the Lord. Cedarville and AWOP share the goal of helping Christians live out their convictions in a winsome and transformational way on the job. Because of this like-minded spirit, AWOP members are eligible for a 15% discount on most classes offered through The Graduate School at Cedarville, including the fully online MBA.
“What moves me the most is to see that one Christian who is so committed to faith at work that they consistently integrate rather than isolate their faith at work,” Chuck shares during the podcast. “They consistently respond to God’s vocational call rather than resist it; they consistently commit to kingdom standards at work rather than compromise; they consistently serve people through work rather than sit back; they consistently steward the resources of the workplace for the common good of the city where they work and live rather than spend it on themselves.

“And when you find just one working Christian who lives and works like that, you’re inspired. I dream of the day when every working Christian works like that.”

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Daryl spoke during Cedarville’s Veterans Day chapel on November 11

In The Long Run

You might say that Cedarville University senior Arielle Wenig has a knack for keeping her eyes on a goal that’s way down the road. She’s shown that quality both in her college education and in a very recent accomplishment.

While most students begin their college search in high school, Arielle, with that clear-minded ability to look ahead, began her higher education pursuit when she was in fourth grade.

As part of a school project, she wrote to Cedarville asking for information. She received plenty of swag, including a Cedarville pennant, and the paperwork for applying to school. She used that very form sent to her in fourth grade when she applied as a senior in high school.

This ability to focus on the long run came into play this September when she completed a marathon with her dad, Bryan, on his 60th birthday. It was a long-held dream, something that Arielle is gifted at fostering and realizing, to run that distance with her dad. It was even more meaningful since Bryan was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in May.

Again, with that steely-eyed focus on the future, Arielle is considering the possibility of serving as a Cedarville professor someday. By now, it should be clear that once Arielle has something in sight, she will pursue it no matter how long it may take.

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Cedarville public relations featured Arielle and Bryan’s marathon accomplishment last fall.

Biblical Worldview Warrior

Dr. Murray Murdoch is a Cedarville legend. For the past 56 years, he has been a model of steadfast devotion, a stalwart of biblical integration, clarion voice for biblical justice and racial equality, a champion tennis coach, dedicated department chair, insightful teacher, calm counselor, and ready friend.

Murray announced his retirement this fall. He and his wife of 63 years, Ruth, were honored during chapel on November 18.

Murray’s legacies are many at Cedarville: 563 career victories as head coach of the men’s tennis team and member of the Cedarville Athletic Hall of Fame; founder of the Civil Rights Bus Tour, where hundreds of students experienced the Edmund Pettus Bridge and 16th Avenue Baptist Church firsthand; creator and teacher of the popular Social Movements course; author of the 100-year history of Cedarville; and former chair and constant advocate for the Department of History and Government.

With all this in mind, Murray’s advocacy for a biblical worldview is the legacy that stands above the rest. For this godly professor, counselor, and friend, having a campus where every academic discipline was taught through a biblical worldview was his passion.

“There is no such thing as a neutral fact,” he explains during the podcast. “All facts pass through the worldview of the person teaching. It’s all part of the warp and woof of who we are, whether we’re historians, scientists, or Bible professors. How can you be a Christian, teaching at a Christian school, and not have a worldview that’s Christ-centered?”

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Enjoy the celebration of Dr. and Mrs. Murdoch’s contributions to Cedarville during the November 18 chapel.

Redemption Is Drawing Near

Cedarville alumna Donna VanLiere loves Christmas. As a mom and wife, it’s a special time for her with husband Troy and their three children: Grace, Kate, and David.

Christmas holds a special place for another reason: as a New York times and USA Today bestseller, many of her novels have a Christmas-based story. Six of her titles have made the transition to television, including The Christmas Shoes and The Christmas Blessing.

As much as she loves Christmas, and her name is associated with this most miraculous time of year, she also has a desire to understand and share with others that the first advent was just the beginning. In The Time of Jacob’s Struggle, which was published last year, she takes a close look at the Bible’s teaching on the Second Coming.

While the past year and a half has been a time of increased anxiety in the world over COVID-19 and many other troubles, Donna finds hope and comfort in the fact that God is still the keeper of promises made long, long ago. When Jesus said He would return, He meant it, and this should be the foundation for our security more than any earthly hope.

“Jesus said there would be pandemics, and there would be plagues,” Donna shares during the podcast. “But He also said, ‘When you see these things begin to happen, lift up your head, look up, because your redemption is drawing near.’”

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Donna and her family were featured in the spring 2018 issue of Cedarville Magazine in the article “Chosen and Grafted Together.” In the story, Donna shares how she and Troy adopted their three children from China and Guatemala.

Desiring to Bring Christ Glory

At the beginning of 2020, Taylor and Rachel Hartley were living out their callings as a photographer (Taylor) and a nurse (Rachel). When COVID-19 hit in March 2020, Rachel, a 2015 B.S.N. and 2020 Master of Science in Nursing alumna, was serving as a preoperative surgical nurse in Lynchburg, Virginia.

Taylor and Rachel saw the increasing need in pandemic-ravaged New York City and sensed the Lord’s nudging for Rachel to use her post-Cedarville training as a critical care nurse.

They made the 260-mile journey by boat from Virginia to Brooklyn, where Rachel served at Langone Hospital, which was being overwhelmed by COVID cases. The semi-tractor trailers doubling as temporary morgues near the hospital entrance was a heavy daily reminder of the pandemic’s toll.

While they were both realistic about the risks to themselves, the Hartleys saw their mission as more than healthcare. There was an eternal mission at stake, among the sick and dying, and among the frontline workers with whom Rachel would serve.

“My prayer and my hope is that in everything, His name would be made known,” Rachel shares during the podcast. “In that is my greatest hope.”

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Rachel would be a guest again on the Cedarville Stories podcast as she continue to serve as a traveling nurse, caring for patients in Ohio, The Bahamas, and in Los Angeles.

Reaching for the Stars

1995 alumna Cindy Hasselbring has been dreaming of NASA since she visited Kennedy Space Center in Florida on a family vacation when she was a child.

A visit to Cedarville in the 80s deepened that passion for the stars when she purchased a poster of an astronaut on a spacewalk with the inspirational phrase, “And those who dare to dream, dare to do.”

Cindy is now living her dream. As a NASA NextGen STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) educational advocate, she connects NASA resources with educators. The NASA online platform for teachers that she is helping develop should be ready for the public in January 2022.

For a math teacher from Milan, Michigan, who applied five times to be part of NASA’s astronaut program, this current opportunity is a perfect blend of her skills and her dreams. The kind of opportunity that our Father in heaven graciously gives his children.

“I’ve been passionate my entire career about helping students see the opportunities and careers they could have in STEM,” Cindy shared with Cedarville public relations earlier this year. “I also love getting teachers resources from NASA directly into their hands.”

“I thought I’d planned out my career as a math teacher,” she added. “Public speaking, event planning, service, giving presentations — God built up those skills in my education at Cedarville. A well-rounded education is so important.”

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Before her current role with NASA, Cindy served as senior policy advisor and assistant director for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Reluctant and Faithful

2004 alumnus Philip Miller never wanted to serve as a pastor, and now, he’s serving in one of the most high-profile pulpits in America.

Philip began serving as senior pastor at The Moody Church in downtown Chicago in July 2020. He follows in the footsteps of 16 legendary men of God, including long-time Cedarville friend and guest chapel speaker Dr. Warren Wiersbe, whose personal library is housed in the Warren and Betty Wiersbe Library and Reading Room at the Center for Biblical and Theological Studies.

Philip’s first inclination was not ministry. His grandfather served as a pastor, and the struggles he faced caused Philip to pause. He resisted the Lord’s urgings toward ministry as a high schooler, but he was moved toward his calling during his undergraduate days at Cedarville. While here, he met his wife, Krista, who is also a 2004 graduate.

Philip graduated from Cedarville and pursued further training at Dallas Theological Seminary. He was ordained at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, in 2010. From 2013 to last year, he served at Westwood Baptist Church in Olympia, Washington.

“Cedarville has a special place in my heart because it’s where I was first grounded in the Bible in terms of my education,” he shared with Cedarville University public relations in 2020. “This is God’s story. He is the author and perfecter of our lives and histories. We’re just looking forward to the adventure!”

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Philip Miller spoke at chapel on October 27 on “The Dark Side of Giftedness” and on October 28 on the “The Bright Side of Brokenness.”

Thankful for a Bonus Round of Life

In this season when we pause to give thanks to God for all of his many, many blessings, our podcast guest, Dr. Michael McKay, Assistant Professor of Biblical Theology, understands full well that the Lord is his sustainer, provider, and a worker of miracles.

During a laidback and relaxed Saturday morning in June, Michael knew he wasn’t feeling exactly right but wrote it off to morning aches and pains. However, when his left leg went numb, he and wife, Lee-Ann, administrative assistant for the Department of History and Government, knew something big was going on.

Suspecting a stroke, they sped off to Greene Memorial Hospital in Xenia, Ohio. But a CT chest scan showed something far more worrisome – a dissected aorta. An ambulance rushed him to Kettering Medical Center in Kettering, Ohio, for emergency surgery.

Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Peter Pavlina and his team operated on Michael for more than 10 hours, supported by a constant stream of prayers from friends, family, and church family all over the world. Against the odds, Michael survived. He returned to teach classes this fall.

“By all the statistics, I should be dead,” he shared with Cedarville public relations. “Every medical professional in my family or who is a friend of mine . . . told me they did not think they would have seen me again until the presence of the Lord. I’m in the bonus round.”

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Back in February 2020, Michael shared on the Cedarville Stories podcast about traveling to Russia to train church leaders and visiting the Holy Land with Cedarville students, including his children, Alexis, Andrew, and Katherynn.

Trusting God’s Care for Sons in Harm’s Way

Jeff Reep, Director of Cedarville Career Services, and his wife, Criss, are coaches.

Jeff coached college basketball for 22 years, including head coach of the Yellow Jacket men’s team from 1995-2000. He is also a vocational coach in his role as Director of Career Services.

Criss and he coach young couples through the University’s Fit to Be Tied program. Criss is also a nutrition and financial support coach through her business, Health for Generations.

As much as they enjoy influencing young people through coaching, it’s their roles as parents where they shine all the more. Jeff and Criss have five sons, four of whom have served or are currently serving with the U.S. Armed Forces, one in the Navy, three with the Marines.

Their son, Aaron, a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, was deployed to Afghanistan during the recent withdrawal, and his unit was at Kabul International Airport when a suicide bomber launched an attack. Aaron was uninjured, but it was a reminder of the dangers their sons face. And it caused the Reeps to draw near to the Lord to have confidence that their boys are secure in His hands.

“Aaron believes, like we do, that he’s where the Lord wants him,” Jeff shared with Cedarville public relations earlier this year. “We have to trust the Lord for his safety.”

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Jeff discussed drawing up a game plan for life in his first appearance on the Cedarville Stories Podcast in April 2020.

One Year Later

It has already been a year since we lost a dedicated colleague and dear friend, Dr. Michael Firmin, Distinguished Professor of Psychology. He passed away from a heart attack on October 27, just 12 days after he recorded this conversation with Cedarville Stories host Mark Weinstein.

With the full support and agreement of his family, we aired this podcast on November 18, 2020, and they have supported this rebroadcast in his memory.

The loss of Dr. Firmin was devastating for Cedarville, where he had served since 1998. He worked tirelessly to support, encourage, and coach his students.

“My mission has been to invest my life in students,” he noted during the podcast. “As they impact others, my ministry multiplies. I want them to go beyond me.”

Beyond his faithful service as a faculty member, Dr. Firmin practiced as a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist. He also served as preaching pastor at Berea Bible Church in Springfield, Ohio.

Cancer had impacted Dr. Firmin’s family, and it showed in his outlook on life. His words are an important reminder of where our ultimate hope should be: in Christ alone.

“When I wake up, I tell God I will do my best: ‘This is Your day for Your honor and Your glory, because I might not have tomorrow,’” he said during the podcast. “Then my record will be in the book, and for me it will be time for heaven.”

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Finding the Right Chemistry

Chemistry is an important part of life. Finding the right team chemistry in sports. The chemistry between a future husband and wife. And for Dr. Justin Coby, it’s the reason he ended up in his current role as Director of Cedar Care Village Pharmacy.

Coby had considered a career in engineering, but when his college professors suggested a pivot to pharmacy, it was the connection with chemistry, one of his favorite subjects in school, that sold him. And Cedar Care, the teaching pharmacy for the Cedarville School of Pharmacy, is now the recipient of his love for chemistry and desire to influence the next generation of pharmacists for Christ.

Prior to assuming his responsibilities at Cedar Care, Coby served as Executive Director at Health Partners Free Clinic (HPFC) in Troy, Ohio. He became familiar with Cedarville through students who volunteered at HPFC, which provides free ambulatory care services for patients unable to afford them.

Coby comes to Cedarville with almost 20 years of experience, which includes the free clinic but also corporate and independent pharmacies.

The entrepreneurial spirit of the Cedarville School of Pharmacy was a major draw to his new role, as was the University’s bold and unashamed declaration of the Gospel. You could say Coby and Cedarville also have the right chemistry.

“I love the fact that Cedarville leads with faith,” he shared with Cedarville public relations earlier this year. “Christ’s name is proclaimed in everything we do.”

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Justin was recently in the news as Cedar Care became one of the only pharmacies in the state of Ohio authorized to administer monoclonal antibodies to COVID-19 patients.

Creating a Space to Receive Grace
Bubbly. Energetic. Positive. Visionary. Kim Ahlgrim is a dynamo.

As director of The Cove, the University’s academic enrichment center, she and her staff have created an environment where students can be themselves and share the challenges they are facing academically, personally, and spiritually.

Kim was named Member of the Year by the National Tutoring Association for her leadership of The Cove, and in 2011, she was Cedarville’s Staff Member of the Year.

Kim’s kind and welcoming personality quickly puts students, and anyone else she encounters, at ease. And since The Cove was established, countless current students and alumni can attest to how she and her team’s support, guidance, and encouragement helped them succeed and thrive.

That grace and kindness is reflected in the naming of The Cove itself.

“You know that feeling when you’re walking on a beach on vacation, and you can completely be yourself?” Kim shares during the podcast.

“That’s how we want people to feel when they come into The Cove. They can be authentic; they can talk to us about anything that’s going on, from their academics to their relationship with God.”

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The Cove has been hailed by the NCAA as a model of academic support.

Spearheading a Historic Campaign

Will Smallwood is Cedarville’s new Vice President for Advancement. The Cedarville University Board of Trustees approved him for this role during their traditional homecoming weekend meeting.

Will is leading the University’s One Thousand Days Transformed: The Campaign for Cedarville, which was announced at homecoming weekend. The $125 million dollar campaign, the largest in school history, already has commitments of more than $95 million. This comprehensive campaign will transform the university’s facilities, campus experience, affordability, and long-term sustainability.

Will is no stranger to multi-million dollar fundraising efforts. During his days as Senior Vice President for Advancement and University Relations for Oklahoma Baptist University (OBU), he spearheaded a five-year $42 million campaign, which was realized a year earlier than projected.

Will leads with humility and kindness, realizing any gift to Cedarville is truly a work of God in the hearts of friends and alumni of the University. He is glad to serve in the role God has provided to impact the lives of students and the long-term health and thriving of Cedarville.

“I have long observed the excellence of Cedarville at every level, from the administration to faculty and staff and its outstanding student body,” he shared with Cedarville public relations earlier this year. “There is also a rich history of generous and faithful support from alumni and friends committed to preparing students who will honor the Lord with their careers and bring Gospel intentionality into all aspects of their lives. To play a small role in this worthy and crucial mission is an incredible blessing.”

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The One Thousand Days Transformed: The Campaign for Cedarville includes an athletic and academic expansion, the Scharnberg Business Center, and a new welcome center and academic home for several of Cedarville’s outstanding academic departments.

A Sheepdog Feeding on the Word

Bruce Upchurch, the new director of campus security at Cedarville, brings more than 30 years of law enforcement experience to his role, which includes the Greene County Sheriff’s Office and the Oakwood Public Safety Department. He has been a K9 handler for criminal investigations and a sniper with a SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) unit.

He has been pushed to his limit mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually and admits that he’s brought job stress home with him. But through it all, the Lord has kept him together, through long stakeouts, altercations with suspects, and harrowing danger.

Ultimately, Bruce went into law enforcement to help others, and that’s why he’s at Cedarville. He sees himself as a servant, and if he’s not serving, then he’s not doing his job. Caring for faculty, staff, administrators, students, and visitors is his goal.

With all that in mind, it’s important that he stay grounded in his relationship with God, which requires grounding in the Word of God. Memorizing Scripture has kept his heart and attitude in the right place during the most difficult assignments.

“Sheepdogs and wolves are similar,” Bruce shares during the podcast. “They have the same intensity, just one has empathy for the sheep, and one wants to kill the sheep. Be a sheepdog, have empathy, but also be connected with the Word of God. If you do not, you can be led down that path of being a little more like a wolf and less like a sheepdog. Stay firm in the Word; memorize the Word of God. To walk in the Spirit, you need to live in the Word.”

Being Healed and Healing Others

Best-selling author Dannah Gresh, a 1989 graduate of Cedarville University, was surprised when she was notified that she was selected as this year’s Alumna of the Year. In fact, she thought it might be a mistake.

But Dannah has come to learn from years of personal experience and ministry that has touched thousands upon thousands of girls, moms, boys, and dads, that the ways of God are always profoundly amazing. And His healing and redeeming hand was on her in a special way in this unexpected honor.

God has blessed Dannah in many, many ways. From her mom coming to faith while her baby brother was critically ill in the hospital, transforming her family overnight, to bringing a beautiful teenage daughter from China into her own family in State College, Pennsylvania. To helping her and husband, Bob, who is co-founder and CEO of Pure Freedom, shift from an event-based ministry to one that included virtual and digital content and programming, just prior to the onset of the COVID pandemic. The Lord’s goodness has been abundantly clear.

But more than that, Jesus met her in a very personal way to heal her from sexual pain in her teenage years to be a voice for truth in an age when truth, as she says in the podcast, is being crucified. His love and His Word provide the rock-solid basis from which anyone can discover hope, meaning, and purpose.

Receiving the 2021 Alumna of the Year award was another way Jesus ministered to Dannah’s heart.

“In many ways, I haven’t lived a perfect life; I haven’t lived a sinless life,” she shares during the podcast. “So, I think when you get honored, the Lord somehow does some redemption even in those deep places that you think, ‘These things were fixed and healed.’ There’s an unworthiness that we carry with us, I think, until the day that we are with Jesus when we look into His eyes face to face. It was just a sweet moment of healing and encouragement for me.”

Dannah spoke in chapel September 30, 2021, on the topic “The Secret to Being Fruitful,” just prior to being honored as Alumna of the Year on homecoming weekend.

People Are the Priority

Kari Flunker Hoffman ’05 is a Hall of Fame basketball player, holding first place in the Lady Jacket record books for three-point shots made, three-point field goal percentage and assists. She’s also the second all-time leading scorer in Cedarville women’s basketball history with 2,275 points during her four-year career.

In 2004 and 2005, she led her team to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) championship game. In 2004, she was presented the Hustle award following the championship game, and one year later she was named the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) player of the year.

Kari is also an outstanding coach, leading the women’s team from 2016 to 2020 to 106 victories and three regular-season conference championships.

But for all the accolades, it comes back to people for Kari. As a player, more than anything she wanted to be the kind of teammate that others wanted to play with. When the door opened for her to lead the Wright State University NCAA Division I women’s basketball program, it was a focus on student-athletes as people to be developed first that convinced her the move was from the Lord.

And as she reflects on her years coaching at Cedarville, this theme remains true.

“There’s just so many good people at Cedarville that I want to keep part of my life,” she comments during the podcast. “All my best friends were my teammates there, and they always will be. I want to keep people and relationships a priority. I hope I’m remembered for treating people right, caring about them and the program, and doing it all while keeping Christ first in my life.”

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Kari is being inducted in the Cedarville Athletics Hall of Fame during homecoming weekend 2021.

Law Enforcement Future Leader

For the Cedarville Stories 100th podcast, the guest is a future police chief, county sheriff, or FBI agent. At least, it’s easy to imagine that being the outcome for junior criminal justice major Will Geist.

Will is the son of Alan and Lynn Geist. Alan served as Cedarville athletic director until June 30, 2021.

At one point, Will thought he might enjoy becoming an airline pilot. But in third grade at Shawnee Elementary School in Springfield, he volunteered to guard the gym stage during indoor recess. He discovered that he enjoyed keeping his classmates safe from falling and enforcing the rules established by the teacher. Seems like Will was hardwired by God for this role.

He came to Cedarville because of its excellent criminal justice program, led by former Cleveland, Ohio, Police Chief, and current Director of the Criminal Justice program Dr. Patrick Oliver. From Dr. Oliver, he learned the keys for being a law enforcement professional — integrity, service orientation, human relations skills, team compatibility, and a drive to perform. In many ways, Will already embodies those qualities as demonstrated through his campus activities and as a student campus security officer.

Will hopes to become part of the inaugural cohort in the College to Law Enforcement Pathway Program, which Cedarville along with Central State University will be piloting for the next two years.

For Will, who was adopted from Kazakhstan, his adoption as a child of God is his greatest calling, and he hopes to reflect the Gospel in the way he serves the public.

“I hope I can show people that the Gospel needs to be at the center of everything we do,” he shared during the podcast. “It needs to be at the center of everything I do. I’m not perfect in that, but it should be, and by God’s grace, I’m learning how to do that. I hope to continue to learn how to live for the Lord.”

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The College to Law Enforcement Pathway Program endeavors to develop a pool of pre-qualified college-educated law enforcement applicants mentored by leaders in the field.

Same Orders, Different Uniform

When Captain Seth Johnson switched from pulpit ministry to chaplaincy in the Air National Guard, it would have been easy to see the shift as a significant change for someone serving 20 years in the pastorate. But for Seth, it was still the same call, just a change of uniform.

Seth graduated from Cedarville in 1996 with a pre-seminary degree. He joined the Connecticut Air National Guard where his brother-in-law and one son were serving. He has another son serving as a medic in the U.S. Army. Because of his academic and ministry experience, he was commissioned directly as a captain.

For Seth, the shift has also been a return to his roots. His ministry experience began as a youth pastor at a church in Beavercreek, Ohio, located near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. He learned early on the unique stresses and challenges that military families face.

In his current role, he finds himself being a trusted release valve for airmen and those in command. His years of experience serving in the church have prepared him well as a calm and even presence for those facing difficulties of different kinds. He’s also available to everyone on base, regardless their religious beliefs.

“It’s kind of bearing the fruit of the instructions of Scripture,” he explained to Cedarville public relations earlier this year. “It says be ready in season and out of season, always ready to give an answer of the hope that is within you.”

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In an article this summer for Cedarville public relations, Seth expressed gratitude for his Cedarville professors and for Jeff Beste, director of strategic relations, for their influence on him during his transformative 1,000 days at Cedarville.

Compassion Defines Greatness

Mike Weller has had a phenomenal career. As associate professor of athletic training, he has instructed, mentored, and coached hundreds of Cedarville students into careers that span high school, college, and professional sports. He is helping lead Cedarville’s program to new heights with the start of the Master of Athletic Training degree in June 2022.

Beyond Cedarville, he has served as the staff athletic trainer for the Cincinnati Bengals training camp since 2011. He also has worked for the National Football league as the eyes in the sky during Bengals football games to alert team medical staff about potential concussions.

By all earthly accounts, it would be easy to conclude that Mike is a great athletic trainer. But Mike himself learned, through a Billy Graham crusade, that greatness is not defined by career accomplishments.

It was during that evangelistic event in 2000 where Mike, who had been raised in a Christian home and made a commitment to Christ at a young age, was confronted by the fact that Jesus was more of a side relationship for him, someone who was there but for Mike, not someone at the center of his life. He acknowledged that he was not following Jesus as Lord and went forward to rededicate his life to Christ.

Since that moment, showing the kindness and compassion of Jesus has been the driving motivation of his life.

“A great athletic trainer operates with compassion,” he offers during the podcast. “They see a need but then they look for a way to impact that life, whether it’s on the football field, on the sidelines, or when someone comes to us with an eating disorder or a young lady who’s pregnant and she’s exploring having an abortion. As believers, we have the opportunity to act in that healthcare setting to really impact their lives, and that’s changed everything I’ve done.”

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The University began receiving applications for the new Master of Athletic Training program in August.

“By All the Statistics, I Should be Dead”

It is a miracle that Dr. Michael McKay, Assistant Professor of Biblical Theology, is teaching at Cedarville this fall.

On June 19, 2021, Dr. McKay wasn’t feeling right, but figured he could walk off the odd aches and pains he was experiencing in his throat and back. But when his left leg went numb, the alarm bells went off. Knowing that leg numbness can be a symptom of stroke, Dr. McKay and his wife, Lee-Ann, went immediately to Greene Memorial Hospital.

After the CT scan of his chest, doctors knew he was in the middle of a serious health crisis – he had a dissected aorta. He was taken by ambulance to Kettering Medical Center in Kettering, Ohio, for emergency surgery.

After 10 ½ hours in the operating room with cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Peter Pavlina and his team, along with the constant prayers of friends, family, and church family here and all around the world, Dr. McKay came out repaired and changed.

“I’m in the bonus round,” he shared with Cedarville Public Relations. “By all the statistics, I should be dead. This is why the doctors said it’s a miracle. Every medical professional in my family or who is a friend of mine, when they heard what happened before they heard about the success of the surgery, many of them told me they did not think they would have seen me again until the presence of the Lord.”

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Dr. McKay last appeared on the Cedarville Stories podcast in February 2020 when he shared about training Russian church leaders and visiting the Holy Lands with Cedarville students, including his children, Alexis, Andrew, and Katherynn.

Finding Her Place to Inspire Millions

When Mandy Young first came to Cedarville, she had no intention of becoming an on-air radio personality or a trailblazing leader in the communications industry. But even though she tried to run from God’s plans, He drew her in and set her in a place of blessing and thriving.

Mandy, who graduated from Cedarville with a bachelor’s in broadcasting and digital media in 2000, was named program director for K-LOVE and Air 1 last October. She is first female in this role and is responsible for music and on-air programming that is broadcast through 790 stations across the country and into millions of homes.

All of it started when Mandy was a little girl. She was saved at age 5, the same night her dad accepted the Lord. She and her siblings would create radio shows and put them on cassette tapes – yes, that’s going back a few years – but for her it was only childhood fun, not a prophetic portend of her future.

As she trailblazes a role in Christian radio, she knows that this is the place God has always meant for her to serve and to inspire millions to trust and pursue Him.

“Being in radio for as long as I have, I feel like it’s my job to pour out encouragement to other people,” she shares during the podcast, “to tell them about Jesus, to bring them closer to Him, and to lift them up.”

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From personal experience, Mandy knows the power of Christian radio. The Need to Breathe song Hard Love playing on an Air 1 station motivated her one night as she sat alone in her parked car at the grocery store.

“I shall not die, but live”

Hayes Wicker has served faithfully on the Cedarville board of trustees since 2005. He has served the church throughout his career, a calling he received almost immediately after he received Jesus as Savior on New Year’s Eve 1966. He has pastored churches in Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and Florida.

Now retired from pulpit ministry, Hayes is still caring for the church, currently as the Director of Spiritual Life and adjunct professor of preaching, pastoral ministry, and Christian living at Southern Evangelical Seminary in Matthews, North Carolina.

But his time of serving the Lord this side of eternity was nearly at a close after a prolonged and painful battle with COVID-19. He spent 45 days in the hospital and was seconds away from being placed on a ventilator when the Lord used a coach-like nurse to challenge him to breath on his own. Even still, he was near death.

In his darkest moments, Jesus put a flicker of hope into Hayes’ head and heart through a Scripture that he remembered but could not place: “I shall not die, but live, and tell of the works of the Lord.” Once he was on the mend, he discovered the life-giving verse: Psalm 118:17.

“God wants to use everything in our lives, particularly that last part of the verse, ‘and tell of the works of the Lord,’” Hayes shares during the podcast. “I have seen God use this, particularly when I talk about COVID. On the golf course or the doctor’s office or wherever I get to talk, it is an amazing platform because people are amazed that I’m alive, that I’m doing what I’m doing, and I get to tell the greatness of the goodness of God.”

Christ Is All He Needs

For Paul Dixon, from the beginning of his relationship with God through all the decades of his leadership at Cedarville to his retirement years when he continues to impact the lives of many, Christ is all he needs.

Dr. Dixon was first known on the campus of Cedarville College as a frequent speaker in chapel. He was often invited to preach by then-president Dr. James T. Jeremiah, with whom he had a lifelong friendship and for whom he had a deep admiration.

There’s an iconic image of Dr. Dixon walking side by side with Dr. Jeremiah in 1978, when Dr. Dixon was asked to serve as president. The image shows the two great men of faith in step with each other, which was reflected in their transition and their relationship with each other through the years.

Dr. Dixon admits he had not served in leadership, other than in his personal life, his family, and his evangelistic ministry, so he was taken aback at the Board of Trustees’ decision to appoint him to lead Cedarville. Dr. Dixon promised his wife, Pat, they would commit two years to see if the Lord’s hand was on their decision. After 25 years serving as president and 18 years as chancellor, it appears His answer was clear.

For Dr. Dixon, his commitment to follow the Lord into the leadership of Cedarville was an act of faith. The song, “Christ Is All I Need,” so closely linked to Dr. Dixon and his time at Cedarville, continues to echo that continual dependence, which he and Pat harmonize to close the podcast.

“We took as our verse when we started dating Psalm 37:23, ‘The steps of a good man are ordered by God: and He delighteth in his way,’” Dr. Dixon shares earlier in the show. “And (Pat) had that engraved on my wedding band. It’s been that way all these years. He’s ordered our steps; it’s the sovereignty of God.”

Dr. Dixon’s 40th anniversary of servant-leadership at Cedarville was celebrated in 2018.

The First Dixon at Cedarville 50 Years Ago

Back in 1971, the Dixon name became well known at a small Christian liberal arts college in Ohio. The imprint of that one person is still visible everywhere on campus today. But most noticeably, on the lives of countless students.

Yes, Pat Dixon, wife of chancellor and former president Paul Dixon, has left her mark on Cedarville University. She was here seven years before Paul, who became president in 1978.

Pat was a well liked and respected public school teacher in Chattanooga, Tennessee, her hometown, when she got the call from then-Cedarville president Dr. James T. Jeremiah to join the education department faculty. This began a 25-year career teaching in the English education program.

In 1996, Pat shifted into her role as assistant to the president, namely her husband. Her salary the first year? $1. Her earnings increased after that, but she wasn’t in it for the money – she loved Cedarville and desired to bring her eye for design to the interior and exterior of the University’s buildings. She wanted the look of the University to match the quality of its programs.

While she enjoyed using her tremendous sense of balance and beauty, her primary love has always been teaching students and pouring into them. She led students on missions trips to Hungary and China and was always on the lookout for someone God had called her to invest in.

“As young girl growing up, I was in a Christian home, but I went to camp one year, and this college student was my counselor, and she just poured herself into me as a 14-year-old,” Pat shares during the podcast. “She just told how to have devotions; she poured into me spiritual truth. I always valued that, and I always said to myself, ‘I want to do that to others, pour myself into a student.’ Even now as we’re retired, and we’re moving here and there, I always pray that God will lead me to someone that I could pour myself into.”

Pat is a prayer warrior, and she shared about her prayer life in an article for the Torch back in 1982.

Strength Is More Than Muscle

Brett Faro is Cedarville’s men’s soccer coach and has led his team to more than 90 wins since 2013, three G-MAC conference titles, and two NCAA tournament bids. He’s also a husband to his wife, Shelley, and dad to 2-year-old Lincoln. But to 5-year-old Fritz Krieger, Brett is an inspiration.

Fritz has Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and his parents, Bryant and Sarah Krieger, are long-time friends of the Faros. When Brett decided to compete in the Tulsa Ironman triathlon in May – a grueling 140.6 mile swim/bike/run – he chose to make it more than an athletic milestone accomplished. Brett wanted to bring attention to Fritz’s disease, which typically claims the lives of those who contract it by their teens to mid-20s, although recent medical advances have increased life expectancy.

Brett wore the inspirational phrase “Strength Is More Than Muscle” on his racing outfit, which is the tagline for the Kriegers’ nonprofit. He also had their website, fritzandfriendsdmd.org, emblazoned on the back. The press opportunities that followed allowed Brett to share about Fritz and how people across the country can join the fight against DMD.

For Brett, this was an opportunity to transform an amazing athletic pursuit into an exercise of eternal purpose.

“There are so many who do not have the opportunity to push their bodies the way I’ve been able to push mine,” Brett shared during an interview prior to the Ironman. “They aren’t able to run, bike, or swim. I really try to value that and share the true joy I have in Christ. God has blessed me with athletic ability, endurance, strength, and legs that work.”

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Join the fight against Duchenne muscular dystrophy; visit fritzandfriendsdmd.org.

Equipping Thousands

Mark Klimek taught every nursing student at Cedarville University over his 38-year career before his retirement this summer. His NCLEX (National Council Licensure Examination) preparation courses have helped thousands of students at Cedarville, across the country, and around the world to pass the test to become registered nurses.

This tremendous legacy began in Youngstown, Ohio. Mark’s dad counseled his son to find a career where he would have job security, and the Lord has provided. He has served well in a number of nursing roles, but for the majority of his career, as an associate professor at the school where he long aspired to serve.

But for Mark, it isn’t about security, but about the one who provides security – the Lord Jesus. As a practicing nurse, he had the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus, to be the listening ear of Jesus, and to be a proclaimer of the good news of Jesus.

As a professor, he has influenced hundreds of Cedarville nursing graduates to view their career as a way to glorify the Lord.

“What better profession could I show Christ in?” Mark shares during the podcast. “If you go through Christ’s life, what did He do? He fed people. We do that as nurses. He gave them something to drink. He talked to them about their fears and anxieties. He quieted them; He calmed them. He sat with them. He rejoiced with them. He cried with them. He laughed with them. Nurses do that all the time. And we get to work with the greatest machine designed by the greatest Creator ever.”

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Mark’s NCLEX review course started from small beginnings of just a few Cedarville students and has grown into a program that has helps thousands every year.

Life is messy. Just ask Ken Erny.

Ken, a 1978 graduate, discovered how messy life could be as a student-athlete when he played in 70-mile-per-hour winds, snow, and rain as a member of the men’s tennis team. Or when he broke his wrist on the way to a tournament, wiping out his opportunity to play at the NAIA national tournament. Murray Murdoch, Distinguished Professor of History and Government, was then the men’s tennis coach and took Ken to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning for X-rays and casting. But also took him out to breakfast afterward.

In 2020, Ken could look back at a successful career as a history teacher, soccer program founder and coach, and athletic director in Fruitport, Michigan, but he wasn’t slowing down. Although he was mentoring his successor, Ken was still serving 60-70 hours a week as athletic director at Fruitland High School. Then Covid-19 brought Ken, and the rest of the world, to a fast stop.

It was during the quiet of the pandemic that Ken began noticing that there was something wrong with his step. His leg and foot weren’t working exactly right. He thought it was a back problem that might be solved with new supportive footwear, but the doctor’s diagnosis revealed something more devastating: Ken had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease for which there is no cure.

Since receiving his diagnosis, Ken and Lori, his wife of 42 years and a fellow Cedarville alum, have committed to living each day to the fullest, surrounded by the love of their supportive family and friends. Ken has recorded more than 100 messages so far for Lori, his kids, grandkids, and other loved ones, for when he is no longer able to speak, a symptom of ALS. And one of his biggest messages?

“Life is messy, and yet we have a God who says He will come right alongside you,” Ken shares during the podcast. “God promised to join you in the mess. He won’t leave you in spite of anything, and the future is so much better compared to what we’re going through now.”

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Ken received a surprise visit on the podcast from his beloved professor and coach, Murray Murdoch.

New Victories for Coach

Very few individuals at Cedarville have a one-name designation, much like a famous performer or athlete. But for many on campus, when you talk about “Coach” there’s one person who comes to mind, and that’s Dr. Don Callan.

Dr. Callan served as head men’s basketball coach for 35 years, leading the Yellow Jackets to 578 victories. He was also Cedarville’s athletic director from 1961 to 1997. And although he’s been retired for a few years now, that doesn’t mean Coach has slowed down. He continues to minister in many, many ways with athletes, senior citizens, and anyone else who will spare him five minutes.

Beyond his impact on sports, Dr. Callan has had a major influence on Cedarville’s efforts to send students on mission around the globe. He founded Mission Involvement Service, which is now Global Outreach, leading 35 trips to the Philippines and at least 10 to Europe.

Dr. Callan lost his beloved Nedra in 2020, his wife of 64 years, just a couple weeks after his 88th birthday. Near the end of the year, he battled COVID, and wondered if he might not be seeing Nedra very soon. But the Lord had new victories for Coach to experience.

“When Nedra died and went to heaven, I said, ‘I want to go to heaven,’” he shares. “God started working in my heart and life that I needed to know Him better. I found out God is interested in me for me. He wants me to be His servant, and He has something for me to do.”

The Callan Athletic Center, named after Coach, is slated for expansion as part of the 10-Year Campus Master Plan.

Worldwide Worldview

Today, as we draw from the Cedarville Stories podcast archives, we are reintroduced to the son of missionary parents and a former U.S. diplomat, who transformed Cedarville’s international studies program with a worldwide worldview.

Dr. Frank Jenista, former professor of international studies, had attended 13 schools in 12 years before finishing his education at a large American high school in New Jersey. When he arrived at Cedarville, he found a loving, supportive community of faculty and friends who inspired him to discover God’s plans for his life, which would include service as a U.S. diplomat.

Once back at Cedarville, he applied his global perspective to the university’s international studies program, which he helped develop into a highly successful major with students serving all over the world, including in the U.S. Foreign Service.

Dr. Jenista also grew Cedarville’s Model United Nations team into a consistent Outstanding Delegation winner at the national competition in New York City. Lastly, he encouraged Cedarville schools and departments to think globally through study abroad and internship opportunities.

Cedarville’s Model United Nations team, which Dr. Jenista advised for many years, performs with excellence at regional and national competitions.

One of Dr. Jenista’s former students, Jerica (Ward) Lamar ’09, is serving as a diplomat in Kenya and was honored at this year’s Legacy Banquet on Homecoming and Parents Weekend as the 2019 Young Alumna of the Year.

There’s No Disguising Her Love for God and Students

Is that Yoda? Or a pirate? Or a Picasso painting? No, that’s 2003 alumna Heidi Bruder!

As a middle school teacher at the beginning of COVID in March 2020, Bruder faced puzzling all educators: how to make online learning engaging. She dug deep for ideas — deep in her creative heart and deep in the bottom of an old costume bin! Before long, she started showing up in teaching videos as someone other than the perky, friendly teacher her students knew so well.

With costumes she found at home, and others contributed by friends and neighbors, and the application of previously undiscovered amazing makeup skills, Bruder began showing up to class as Hulk Hogan, Yoda, a Picasso painting, a mermaid, a mad scientists, a ventriloquist’s dummy . . . the cast of characters was a delight to behold.

For Bruder, it was one more instance where she trusted the Lord, and He showed up in an incredible, unimaginable way. She had experienced His kind and creative before: running on a national championship cross country team after she had given up running; forming a close bond with a middle schooler who intimidated her. She has seen Jesus come through in her life and through her life amazing ways over and over again. The Lord’s love for her has been the most amazing of all, and there’s no disguising how much that means to Heidi.

You can catch Heidi’s many transformations in Zoom teaching videos recorded for her fifth-seventh graders.

Olympic Dreams Grounded on True HopeWhen Daniel Michalski won an NCAA Division II national title in steeplechase in 2017, many would have considered that a fitting close to an outstanding college athletics career. But the Lord, and Dan, a 2018 Cedarville alumnus, had other challenges to jump, hurdle, and climb.

Daniel took his last year of college eligibility with him to Indiana University as a graduate student, where he had an outstanding year of competition, including being runner-up in the 3000M steeplechase at the Big 10 Championships in 2019. And if not for his toe clipping a hurdle, Dan was headed for a national title at the NCAA Division I Men’s Outdoor Track & Field Championships. Even with the stumble, Daniel had an All-American finish and came in seventh.

This year, Daniel has continued to soar in the event he loves. At one point this spring, he owned the top American time in the steeplechase and had the third-best time in the world. And on June 21, he will compete at the steeplechase prelims of the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for a chance to represent the United States in Tokyo this summer. If he makes it, he will be the first Yellow Jacket to compete on the Olympic stage.

Even for all of Daniel’s impressive athletic successes, his faith, and his newfound roles as a husband to Abby, a dad to Daley, and a college cross country and track & field coach, keep his feet on the ground.

“I’m not a just a runner,” he shares during the podcast. “I have more value than that. I know I’m loved. As a son, a brother, now a husband and dad, and ultimately as a child of God, there is so much more to this story than one race.”

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Daniel broke a 44-year-old record at the Drake Relays in April, claiming the steeplechase crown in 8:29:83. He also won the Penn Relays this year, becoming only the second male athlete to win both in the same year.

Joy in Suffering

This week from the Cedarville Stories podcast archives, we revisit the powerful story of Dr. Angie Mickle, Dean of the Cedarville School of Nursing, who shared about a series of trials that rocked her world and deepened her faith in profound ways.

In late 2018, doctors diagnosed Dr. Mickle with what they thought was a malignant brain tumor. On January 7, 2019, surgeons spent nine hours removing the tumor, which turned out benign. But three days after her surgery, Dr. Mickle suffered a stroke.

While she was recovering at home in February,2019, her seven-month-old grandson suddenly stopped breathing. Although she desperately tried to revive him, her precious grandson went to be with Jesus.

This hailstorm of tragedy banged up Dr. Mickle’s typically steady and strong faith. She began to question Jesus and wondered aloud, through many tears, why He would allow so much suffering and loss in her life. But even in the middle of the questions, the Lord met her over and over again. Her trust in Him grew deeper because of the pain.

Dr. Mickles heart-wrenching and inspiring story causes anyone who hears it to look more closely at their relationship with God and how much they truly trust Him. She gives glory to Him in the midst of her tragedy.

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Besides leading the School of Nursing, Dr. Mickle is also a leader in the Air National Guard, where she serves as a major. She is a nurse practitioner and Chief Nursing Administrator for the 121st Medical Group at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio.

Mickle also maintains her sense of humor through her trials. She believed God called her to name her tumor, and she landed on “Joy,” in view of James 1:2-4. The tumor had likely been growing in her brain for 15-20 years, doctors informed her.

Politics With a Fresh Perspective

This week from the archives of the Cedarville Stories podcast, we hear from a professor who has become a breath of fresh air in the confusing and complicated world of politics.

Dr. Mark Caleb Smith brings a balanced and insightful perspective on what can be a strange landscape for Americans to navigate: modern-day politics. But because of his thoughtful, articulate approach, he has become a favorite of media locally, regionally, and around the country. He has recorded more than 1,000 television, radio, print, and online interviews so far in his 16 years at Cedarville University.

Part of Dr. Smith’s appeal is his preparation. He diligently keeps up on current events, reading up on the latest happenings in the world of politics and public policy from one to three hours each day. He is ready to go when news crews show up on campus for interviews, and he has a ready, well-reasoned answer to the pointed questions of his students when they want to hear his take on what’s happening in the nation and around the globe.

Dr. Smith’s fair and objective analysis makes him a trustworthy source and a breath of fresh air for those wanting to understand the world of politics. His biblical worldview ensures that his perspectives are true and unbiased and ultimately bring glory to God.

Dr. Smith is chair of Cedarville University’s Department of History and Government and also director of the Center for Political Studies.

During a chapel message in 2018, Dr. Smith encouraged students, faculty, and staff to stand for truth and love those who oppose us in a politically divided nation.

Finding Joy When Life Steals Your Happiness

The old saying goes, “One step forward, two steps back.” For Olivia (Ancil) Arent, that saying has poignant and painful real-life application.

Olivia graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from Cedarville in 2019 and was working as a night shift float nurse at Holland Hospital in Holland, Michigan. On May 28, 2020, after finishing a recertification course for treating stroke patients, she and then-fiancé Alex Arent, who is now her husband, were taking a walk on a beautiful spring day. Then, out of nowhere, a red Honda Civic came barreling down the boulevard at 70 miles per hour in a 35 miles per hour zone and careened into the young couple. No one on the scene expected either Olivia or Alex to make it.

They were both transported back to the hospital where Olivia had just finished training, then transferred to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital, a level-one trauma center located in nearby Grand Rapids.

Olivia and Alex both spent a week in intensive care. Olivia spent 78 days in the hospital altogether.

By the end of 2020, Olivia was beginning to heal. She and Alex exchanged wedding vows on December 3, and even though there was much recovery still ahead, much progress had been made. Then Olivia underwent emergency surgery on her left leg, which required going through the recovery process all over again.

As disheartening as this setback was, Olivia continues to walk with God through what has happened. There is still grieving but also rejoicing, not because her circumstances are always joyful, but because God is always good.

“Things that happen can steal your happiness,” Olivia shared during the podcast. “However, joy is a foundation, and it is based on who God is. Just focusing on that has really changed my life and changed my heart. Even though the situation might not be happy or good, God is good, and that is a reason to praise and that is a reason to have joy.”

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Olivia’s story was first featured on the Cedarville Stories podcast on January 6, 2020.

Diana Perkey is on the run in her walk with God. Diana is a 1991 alumna of Cedarville and was recently named the Director of Alumni Engagement. She feels that all her experiences up to now have prepared her for this time.

Diana compares her life with the Lord to a relay race, a continual process of releasing and receiving the baton, being faithful with each new calling the Lord has on her life. For Diana, that has included missions, with a focus on orphan care, to Kenya, Uganda, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic.

She has run this relay with her husband of 30 years, Bret, but the race has not always been on smooth surfaces and well-marked trails. It’s been pockmarked with challenges, such as Bret having a stroke while cycling in 2014 or leaving the mission field in 2017 because of their younger daughter’s health issues.

Through it all, Diana has leaned heavily on the Lord and watched Him move mountains, change circumstances, and thwart the devil’s attacks time and time again.

“We don’t know what our future looks like,” Diana shares during the podcast. “We just walk each day literally by faith, trusting in His plan and what He’s laid out in front of us and just trying to be obedient to that next step. And we never know the twists and turns; we just have to walk.”

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God began working in Diana’s and Bret’s lives about orphan care when they were part of an Apex Community Church house church full of adoptive families.

Doorman to the Stars, Servant to All

He’s served as a pastor, a midnight campus safety officer, an assistant director of church relations, and presently as an event manager handling everything from academic department gatherings to commencement celebrations. But in all the ways he serves at Cedarville University, Tim Abel follows this one constant: Ultimately, his servanthood is for the Lord.

One of the crucial moments in his servanthood journey happened several years before he arrived at Cedarville, on “the Miracle Mile” – Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. While he studied at Moody Bible Institute, he served as a doorman at a high-rise condominium complex where the rich and famous lived and visited. Celebrities such as Michael Jordan, Denzel Washington, and Julia Roberts, among many others, crossed his path.

Opening doors and grabbing a cab for those in the stratosphere of American society kept Tim’s feet firmly on the ground. And Cedarville’s students, faculty, and staff have received the blessings of the life transformation he experienced.

“God used that job to help me see that ultimately I’m a servant of the King of kings and Lord of lords, and I serve Him,” Tim said in a recent interview with Cedarville public relations. “What I do here on earth is service unto Him, and the Lord helped me see and understand that.

“When you serve, you may not be thanked, appreciated, or even noticed, but ultimately our service needs to be focused on Him.”

Even though she is legally blind, Tim’s daughter, Hannah, also embraces the same servant mindset evident in her dad.

Toolbox and Tool Bag Are His Altar

Paul Mitchell knows more about water than most people. As the supervisor of water systems at Cedarville University, Paul kept the water flowing to residence halls, academic and administrative buildings, and everywhere else on campus for 19 years.

But Paul’s heart ultimately is for streams of living water, seeing people touched by the Good News of Jesus. In fact, he earned a degree in Bible as an undergraduate and was focused on becoming a pastor at one point. While that role of service was not part of God’s plan for Paul, He has used this man of God mightily, along with his wife, Diane, to reach people through missions and U.S.-based service projects.

Most recently, that occurred in Austin, Texas, where he and Diane traveled to help those whose pipes had ruptured during the record-breaking cold snap that hit the Lone Star State in February.

Paul wrestled for years accepting that his gifts as a plumber were the way that God wanted to use him in this world. Then a teaching by his pastor, Tedd Tripp, in Hazelton, Pennsylvania on Romans 12:1-2 opened his eyes to the way the Lord wanted his life to flow.

“For years I had struggled with being a plumber, but still wanting to be in ministry. I had never let it go,” he admits during the podcast. “It was a source of, I wouldn’t say hurt, but of struggle in my own soul. He got to those verses (Romans 12:1-2) and he said, ‘Whatever you put your hands to is your offering to God. You men who are in trades, what are you doing with your hands? As a living sacrifice, you are offering that.’ And I realized at that point, my tool bag, my toolbox, that was the altar over which I worked and offered myself to God every day as a living sacrifice. I had embraced my work as God’s calling for me.”

Biblical Integrity in Everything They Do

Small-group leadership, disciple-making, missions, Christian education, athletics as a platform for the Gospel. Sean and Diane Hannay’s life together has mirrored the values and priorities they learned at Cedarville as undergrads. And this devotion to the Lord has now flowed into the next generation.

A commitment to Christian higher education started with Shaun’s parents, who graduated from Philadelphia College of Bible. When Shaun’s brother, Scott, was getting ready for college, an aunt suggested he consider Cedarville. After a campus visit with the family, Scott was convinced. That was the beginning of a family legacy at Cedarville that includes Shaun and Diane, but also siblings, cousins, nieces, and nephews.

In fact, the Hannays could start their own family alumni association, with 13 family members earning degrees from Cedarville so far. More are on the way.

But that’s not all. Five members of the extended Hannay family, including Shaun, have competed as Yellow Jacket track and field athletes, which now includes Shaun and Diane’s son, Luke, who joined the podcast. Luke shared how he encourages his teammates to use downtime at meets to visit with athletes from other teams and share the Gospel.

Shaun and Diane have an extensive resume of Christian ministry — missions, discipleship, and small-group leadership. Shaun has served the Lord in the world of business, while Diane has been a Christian school educator for more than 30 years. Diane is also an author. Her book, What Is God's Plan for Me?, shares the Gospel with children and offers lessons on how to live for Christ in circumstances they might face in their young lives.

“Everything about Cedarville is that it has uncompromisingly maintained its priority to the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ,” said Diane during the podcast. “Everything we do is formed by those teachings — whether you’re an athlete, whether you’re in the classroom, whether you’re in business — the biblical integrity that we learned there has really been foundational in everything we do. Our desire is to see the Gospel move forward.”

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Diane’s book is available through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, online sellers, and Diane’s website.

Parkinson’s Surgery Transforms Their Future

Debilitating tremors. Uncontrollable muscle spasms. Dr. Bill Ragle was trapped inside a body that had a mind of its own.

Since 1995, Ragle has served as professor of finance at Cedarville. He will be retiring at the end of this academic year. The fact that he has continued to work while suffering with Parkinson’s disease is a miracle all by itself. But then last year, he underwent surgery to implant electrodes deep in his brain to control the involuntary body movement. A battery pack placed in his chest constantly sends 1.6 volts into his brain.

Since the procedure, he is, miraculously, back to normal: able to focus, able to teach, able to play guitar, able to play tennis. He has had no negative side effects.

Now, Bill, and his wife, LuAnn, look forward to retirement as an opportunity of continued usefulness in the service of the Lord.

“After my diagnosis, my wife and I went through a year of mourning,” Ragle shared during an interview last year. “Eventually, the question came to me: Which of these things brings more glory to God? Healing me from a debilitating disease or having the world watch me cling to Him as I walk through it? I want to trust God to let Him receive glory the way He wants to be glorified.

“What I’ve received is not a cure, but I’ve decided however God wants to use me in the future to glorify Himself, count me in.”

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Bill was honored in chapel on April 15 during a program honoring the faithful service of five retiring professors.

Learning Well From Those Ahead of Him

Jake Johnson is wise beyond his years. How so? Because he’s been blessed with the gift of knowing what he doesn’t know, then the foresight to seek out those who have the experience and wisdom he hopes to exercise in his life.

Jake, who is a senior political science major, has served as president for the Student Government Association this year at Cedarville University. He’s learned in this role how to slow down, ask questions, and listen well. He’s sought the godly insight of mentors on campus who he hopes to emulate.

He’s also been blessed with incredible opportunities to learn from people he admires, including the former vice president of the United States, Mike Pence, in whose office he interned. After graduation in May, he will be returning to the nation’s capital to work as a staff assistant in the office of U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe from Oklahoma.

It’s easy to imagine an amazing path for Jake’s life, but as he approaches graduation, he’s reflecting on the people at Cedarville who helped him begin this journey.

“Four years ago, I was almost an entirely different person,” he shares during the podcast. “God has used people at Cedarville, people who are way further down the line than me in their walks with the Lord. It’s just such a unique place, where there’s so many people running after the Lord. I’m so grateful for the people at Cedarville.”

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In addition to serving as SGA president, Jake was also part of the team that welcomed students back to campus last August during the “touchless” Getting Started Weekend.

Met by Christ in Her Overwhelming Despair

Gerry Walquist would never wish on anyone what happened to her on December 30, 2013, but she also knows she wouldn’t be who she is today if not for that tragic day.

On the day before New Year’s Eve nearly eight years ago, an intruder, out of jail one month, broke into the vacation rental that Gerry, husband Brett, and children Rachel and Thomas enjoyed during a Christmas trip to Puerto Rico. Gerry woke up after 1 a.m. and realized Brett wasn’t in bed. She went out to the kitchen and saw him there, along with the man who broke in.

Gerry jumped on the man, Rachel ran out of her bedroom screaming, and the man got away through a window in the kitchen. But the unthinkable had already happened; the man had stabbed Brett, who was now lying on the kitchen floor. Crying out at first, “Lord, please save him,” Gerry realized quickly Brett was spending his last moments this side of eternity.

What happened in the days, months, and years that followed are a testimony to God’s faithfulness in the midst of terrible, life-shattering tragedy. Gerry’s faith, and the faith of her children, has grown, and she has seen the Lord bless them all in ways she could not have expected after this devastating loss. Which includes forgiving Brett’s murderer.

“I was brought to my knees,” Gerry shares during the podcast. “I called on the name of the Lord; I needed Him. In the first several weeks afterward, I was so broken. People would ask me, ‘What can I do?’ and I’d say, ‘Just keep praying.’ The Lord brought people into my life who helped help me in times I just didn’t know how I was going to manage. But He was there for me, and He’s been there for me.”

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Before she was recently hired at Cedarville as an administrative assistant in the human resources department, Gerry served as a preschool teacher at Legacy Christian Academy in Xenia, Ohio.

Passing Along a Love for God’s Word

How can the civil, ritual, and communal law of a nation that existed 3,000 years ago be stimulating and applicable to today? That was the question Dr. Chris Miller, Senior Professor of Biblical Studies, had when he was first challenged to take a class on the book of Leviticus when he was a young guy studying at Word of Life Bible Institute.

Little did Chris know that this course on Leviticus would change the trajectory of his life. For the last 30 years, he has been teaching the Old Testament Literature course at Cedarville, which is a favorite among students.

Two years ago, Old Testament Literature was made available online on video at no cost for the public and has been used by individuals, small groups, and Sunday school classes across the country for their spiritual growth and advancement.

For Chris, it’s a blessing to see how his love of the Word is inspiring others to love the Word as well. This was the same passion his dad possessed, which Chris aims to emulate.

“It’s very humbling to think the Lord would allow me to do that,” Chris shares during the podcast. “And I hope that my dad, who was always such a wonderful student of the Bible, is pleased by that because I stand on his shoulders.”
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The Association of Christians Schools International (ACSI) has recently made Old Testament Literature available to its members for continuing education credit.

God Is Writing Their Stories

Graduation day is drawing near for seniors Nicole Hackett and Tessa Landrum. Nicole, a professional writing and information design major, and Tessa, a communication major, have benefitted not only from the great coursework, but also from the experience of working in Cedarville University Public Relations.

Nicole and Tessa are strong writers who have consistently told scores of Cedarville stories for God’s glory. From writing about a nursing alumna who spent her first year after graduation at a hospital in the Congo (Nicole) to a worship major who was blessed to be mentored in his profession, and eventually hired, by his home church (Tessa), their well-crafted stories have shared more than Cedarville news, but also the Good News of Jesus Christ.

And while their stories have appeared on media outlets around the country, blessing hundreds of thousands, they’ve also been changed. They both share how their experiences writing Cedarville stories have given them confidence to be used by God in the world of professional communications.

Cedarville Public Relations is grateful for their hard work, dedication, and commitment to perform their duties as unto Christ.

“I think and hope and pray that through the work that I do, and striving for excellence unto the Lord’s glory and not my own, that He is glorified through that,” Tessa shares during the podcast.

“Over these four years at Cedarville, I’ve been so poured into, and I feel how richly I have grown, and that gives God glory,” Nicole adds. “Coming out of that and going into a secular work environment, I will be able to better serve Him, which will give Him glory.”

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Enjoy one of Nicole’s and one of Tessa’s stories, written during their time serving in the Public Relations department of Cedarville University.

Free to Explore New Horizons

If you ever want to get lost in the lava tubes around Mount Saint Helens in Washington or enjoy a bottle of gourmet root beer on your deck on a beautiful summer night, then Matt Dearden might be your guy. Cedarville’s Director of Undergraduate Admissions is a strategic, fun-loving guy with an adventurous spirit.

Matt likes to explore new interests and test his limits. Like his decision to pursue a law degree at the University of Cincinnati although no one in his family had ever earned a Juris Doctor degree. Or become a respected root beer reviewer – no joke –along with two friends.

Or, as far as adventures go, give up a well-paying, American dream kind of career to return to his alma mater to serve in his current role.

But for Matt, it’s never been about money or worldly accomplishment, but understanding more deeply the way that he has been created by his Heavenly Father and how he can serve in diverse ways because of God’s grace and love.

Returning to Cedarville has opened up time for being with his bride, Rachel, who he met as an undergrad, and to love and spend time with his three daughters, Macie, Madison, and McKinley. It’s also afforded him opportunities to teach in the Department of History and Government, to advise student organizations, and to invest in his admissions counselors as professionals and followers of Christ.

The same counsel he offers prospective students could just as easily serve as Matt’s personal philosophy:

“Just be open for the experiences that will be available to you,” he says during the podcast. “Yes, you’re going to work hard; yes, there’s going to be a lot of opportunities for you. But more often than not, you’re just going to be walking through open doors. Cedarville’s a phenomenal place to experience that.”

More to the Story

Matt is a big believer in the 1,000 Days campaign as someone who personally has experienced the transformation of a Cedarville education.

Education Leader With a Missionary’s Heart

Dr. Kevin Jones came to Cedarville University in the summer of 2020, in the middle of a pandemic. But a worldwide health crisis has not dampened the enthusiasm of the new dean of the School of Education or affected his ability to inspire, encourage, and cast vision. In fact, he is encouraging the School of Education toward new heights.

To describe Kevin as an academic leader seems a bit understated. He has the warmth and friendliness of a pastor on Sunday morning, the energy of a college football coach, and the heart of a missionary. Not only does he want to see Cedarville prepare compassionate, professional educators, he hopes to see School of Education graduates in every church, every city, and every country.

This visionary, engaging leader of Cedarville’s School of Education is a teacher at heart, having instructed first-graders in Lexington, Kentucky, in his first job; next it was fifth-graders in Louisville.

While his energy and talents are striking, it’s Kevin’s love for the Lord, which results in a love for others, that is most inspiring.

“My faith is my career,” he said in an interview last year. “Even as a first-grade teacher, someone might ask, ‘Why are you working so hard?’ It’s because at the end of my life, it won’t be the superintendent or the principal doing my evaluation, it is the Lord who will be giving out my recompense, my just due. I want to be found faithful in the time and with the gifts the Lord has given me.”

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Beyond his talents as an educator and leader, Kevin is also a gifted preacher and has spoken frequently in chapel.

Like Father, Like Son

Like father, like son. For Pete and Chris Reese, no truer words have been spoken.

Pete still holds records for shooting (7th all-time) and rebounding (8th all-time) as a star forward/center with the Yellow Jackets men’s basketball team. He graduated in 1960. Chris was a standout forward and a sure shot from the charity stripe. During the 1987-88 season, he knocked down 45 free throws in a row, making him the all-time leader in that category. He graduated from Cedarville in 1989.

After a stellar career teaching, coaching, and developing the athletic facilities at Los Angeles Bible College, now The Master’s University, Pete came back to his alma mater where he coached, served as athletic director, and supervised the University’s outdoor athletics complex until his retirement in 2017.

Chris, who had served as head men’s basketball coach and athletic director at Oklahoma Wesleyan University and Multnomah Bible College, served faithfully as associate athletic director for Cedarville and then took over for his dad as the supervisor of outdoor athletic facilities. Now, Pete works for his son when grass-cutting season begins.

Both men are humbled by the recent honor bestowed on Pete and Pete’s brother, Gene, for whom the outdoor complex was recently named, which recognizes their work developing Cedarville’s playing and practice fields.

“It’s a privilege to maintain facilities that your father and uncle built and maintained for years,” notes Chris during the podcast. “It inspires me and motivates me to do the best job I can.”

“It’s wonderful to have your son follow you in whatever profession you’ve been in,” Pete adds. “Chris is meticulous in what he does.”

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Last December, Cedarville renamed its outdoor sports complex The Pete Reese and Gene Reese Athletic Fields.

Fighting COVID Coast to Coast

For Rachel Hartley, a 2015 B.S.N. and 2020 M.S.N. Cedarville alumna, the battle against COVID has taken her from East Coast to West Coast, from a small community hospital in the Caribbean, to a bustling suburban hospital in Ohio, from one surge at the beginning of the pandemic, to another one almost a year later.

In the midst of caring for patients at Mercy Health - St. Anne Hospital in Toledo, Rachel and her husband, Taylor, came down with the coronavirus. They were blessed with milder symptoms and were able to convalesce at her parents’ house in Westerville, just outside Columbus.

In her current assignment, treating patients at PIH Good Samaritan Hospital in downtown Los Angeles, she’s been reminded of the devastation of New York, where many of her patients never recovered. In the midst of this healthcare storm, God has used her once again to point people to Christ for solace, peace, and an eternal hope.

“I hope the Lord will give me strength with my co-workers who are so exhausted, and who have been doing this for months,” she said in an interview in January. “To be a refreshment is my goal. And in everything I do, just to point to the Lord and glorify His name, to share the Gospel with my co-workers and my patients because Jesus is the only hope that we have or need.”

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Rachel’s yearlong battle the COVID-19 pandemic was part of a fall 2020 Cedarville Magazine feature titled “Nurses on the Frontlines,” which tells the stories of nursing alumni serving in the middle of this healthcare crisis.

No Neutral Facts

For the last 55 years, Dr. Murray Murdoch has faithfully taught, coached, and inspired students, faculty, staff, and the leadership of Cedarville University.

Murray has many legacies: men’s tennis coach who led his teams to 563 victories over 29 years; fearless advocate for biblical justice and racial equality; distinguished professor of history and former chair of the Department of History and Government.

But the legacy that inspires Murry the most was his effort to ensure that every academic discipline is taught from a biblical worldview. For Murray, having a campus where every concept is run through the grid of biblical truth, leading to a biblical worldview, is the most meaningful legacy of all.

“There is no such thing as a neutral fact,” explained Murry during the podcast. “All facts pass through the worldview of the person teaching. How can you be a Christian, teaching at a Christian school, and not have a worldview that’s Christ-centered? It’s all part of the warp and woof of who we are, whether we’re historians, scientists, or Bible professors.”

Dr. Murdoch rearticulated the University’s historic stand against racism in a written statement issued after the tragic death of George Floyd.

God Is Not Done With the Coach

Would anyone guess that legendary Cedarville University basketball coach Don Callan, for whom Callan Athletic Center is named, was named to his alma mater’s athletic hall of fame for . . . football?

Or that he came to Cedarville — think about this for a second — 60 years ago. He told then-president Dr. James T. Jeremiah he was here to stay, and Don has been true to his word.

Or that Don started the Mission Involvement Service, taking all kinds of athletes around the world to play sports and share the Gospel. He led 35 trips to the Philippines and at least 10 to Europe.

After a successful coaching career, leading the men’s basketball team to 578 victories over 35 years, and serving the University as athletic director from 1961 to 1997, he retired, but that doesn’t mean he slowed down. He has continued to minister in many, many ways with athletes, senior citizens, and anyone who will give him the time of day.

After losing his wife of 64 years, Nedra, just a couple weeks after his 88th birthday in 2020, and then surviving a terrible bout with COVID near the end of the year, Don was ready to join his bride in eternity. But the Lord had other plans for Coach.

“When Nedra died and went to heaven, I said, ‘Nedra’s in heaven; I want to go to heaven,’” he shares during the podcast. “God started working in my heart and life that I needed to know Him better. But how do you do that? I started reading His Word and applying it. Special people sent me books. And all of the sudden, I found out God is interested in me for me. He wants me to be His servant, and He has something for me to do.”

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The Callan Athletic Center, named after the Coach, is slated for expansion as part of the Campus Master Plan.

Creative to Reflect His CreatorWhen you listen to Jim Stevenson’s story, it’s easy to wonder, “Is there anything this guy can’t do?” His first career move was a straightaway into the fast-paced and frenetic world of NASCAR, then Indy Car, racing, where he secured sponsorships from big-name companies and corporations.

Jim is also a singer-songwriter who recorded albums and performed 40-50 gigs a year as one-half of a soft rock duo with Tim Farrel. One of the high points was opening for legendary rock band Chicago when they performed at the Polaris Amphitheater (now Germain Amphitheater) in Columbus, Ohio.

And now in his latest adventure, Jim co-founded and serves as Director of the International Center for Creativity (ICC) in Dublin, Ohio, which houses the last two years of Cedarville’s Innovative and Industrial Design (IID) program. ICC offers a nontraditional learning space where junior and senior IID students let their minds soar, imagining out-of-the-box transformative solutions to real-world problems.

On the side, just because God has gifted Jim with a creative and dexterous mind, he and ICC co-founder Tom Balliet built and then designed the interior of a retreat home on Mt. Desert Island in Maine.

“To be creative, you need to know the Creator,” Jim shares during the podcast. “Our biggest challenge is to make sure we’re building kingdom builders, and they can use their creativity and their innovation to reflect Him, to be creative image-bearers of God.”

In addition to the undergraduate IID program, M.B.A. in Innovation and Entrepreneurship graduate students also take classes through the ICC.

Jim serves on the board of the Kosovo Leadership Academy and sends Cedarville IID students and instructors to this formerly war-torn nation in the Balkans to teach creative design processes and principles.

Survivor Committed to Blessing Kids With Cancer

She was a newlywed by six weeks, and she was on track to earn her Doctor of Pharmacy degree by 2019. But for Julia Gardner, the hopes and dreams associated with her six-week-old marriage to husband Michael, a 2014 Cedarville alumnus, and her future career were put suddenly on hold. On the day before she was scheduled to begin the professional pharmacy program at Cedarville, Julia was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Gardner withdrew from school to focus on her treatment, which took approximately two and a half years. She spent 90 days in the hospital, received more than 30 blood and platelet transfusions, and moved back in with her parents for 24-hour care.

She finished her treatment in December 2017 and has been in remission since. She re-enrolled in the Cedarville School of Pharmacy and completed her degree program in May 2020, just one year after she had originally planned. She is now working as a first-year pharmacy resident at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

In the midst of her treatments at Cincinnati Children’s, Julia was inspired to do something for the kids she saw with cancer diagnoses, so she started Julia’s Jammies. Julia’s Jammies has collected 5,200 pairs of children’s pajamas, which have been distributed at 17 hospitals in the last five years.

“The first month or so of treatment consisted of us realizing how life-altering this diagnosis would be,” Julia explained in a Cedarville public relations story in 2018. “I was basically quarantined from friends and family for a whole year. It was tough, but I knew God was sending me down this road in order to grow closer to him.”

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To give to Julia’s Jammies, visit the Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/juliasjammies/.

Ordinary Guy Serves Legislators, NHL Stars

Politicians. Goalies. College Students. The Lord has used Brian Hanson to disciple, evangelize, encourage, challenge, and pray for them all. But if you ask Brian, it’s not because he possesses a special talent or speaking gift. In fact, he would shy away from taking any credit at all.

For 23 years, Brian and his wife, Mandi, were involved in youth ministry at three different churches in Ohio. Next, because of a providential opportunity to pray at the beginning of a session of the Ohio Senate, the Lord opened a door for him to serve and disciple legislators and their staff at the Ohio Statehouse. He has responsibility now for ministries at 32 national capitals around the world.

Next, because of a connection with someone in the Columbus Bluejackets NHL hockey organization, the Lord opened a door for Brian to serve as chaplain there, where he’s seen a number of players come to know Christ.

And then, Brian was asked to serve as chaplain for the students at the International Center for Creativity, where he serves Cedarville junior and senior innovative and industrial design students.

“I’ve always just tried to be faithful to God,” Brian explains in the podcast. “There’s nothing spectacular about me. But I hope that when I stand before the Lord on that day, I hope that he’ll look at me and say, ‘Brian, you don’t bring much to the table, but you’ve sure been faithful.’”

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Brian is state director for Ohio and director of international ministries for Capitol Ministries.

Networking is His Gift and His Ministry

1993 alumnus Bill Montgomery is Mr. Connections. The chief sales officer for 104.9 The River (WCVO-FM) in Gahanna, Ohio, and Cedarville adjunct broadcast and digital media professor loves to connect people who can help one another. It’s his gift, and it’s his ministry.

Bill saw the power of connections when he was a student at Cedarville. Professors would bring in alumni and leaders in the broadcast media industry to talk and meet with students.

His networking skills became a key element in his career, as he found advertisers who supported Christian radio and its mission of delivering the Gospel to listening ears.

Mr. Connections has also seen this passion benefit one of his favorite organizations, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). He finds joy in helping others experience and then become supporters of FCA’s ministry of raising of up athletes who share their hope in Christ.

He especially loves helping his students discover the vast array of Cedarville alumni and supporters who can help them as they seek out God’s direction for their career.

“When I meet somebody, my mind goes, ‘Who do I know that could use what this person does?’ and that automatically creates four or five other connections,” Bill shares in the podcast. “Some of my greatest days are when I take this person that I know and this person that I know, and they’ve never met, and I can put them together and they benefit.”

Bill has been honored as the Local Sales Manager of the Year by national organization Radio Ink.

God Made a Way When There was No Way

A severe traumatic brain injury, five spinal fractures, rib fractures, skull fractures, cranial nerve damage that affects her vision, and a lung contusion. “People don’t just survive accidents like that,” commented 2019 nursing alumna Olivia Ancil.

A vehicle traveling 70 mph in a 35-mph zone careened into Olivia and her boyfriend, Alex Arent, as they walked together in Holland, Michigan, on May 28, 2020. The young couple was not expected to make it. But they were stabilized at the scene and transported to a nearby hospital: Alex by ambulance and Olivia by helicopter.

While enduring the long and arduous process of recovery, Olivia was tested beyond what most will ever experience. She was also reminded over and over of the lessons she learned at Cedarville: God is faithful, and she can trust Him.

Olivia continues in therapy and prays that the Lord will heal her completely. But even in the midst of the trauma, she is also looking forward to a future with Alex, who proposed to her after the accident.

“We know that surviving this together doesn’t mean life will just be rainbows and flowers moving forward,” she said in a Cedarville public relations story. “Being able to love the Lord, love each other, and work toward this next step has been one of the most beautiful experiences of my life.”

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Olivia’s story is featured on the Cedarville University website and on the KLOVE/Air1 website.

Eternal Intentionality

The Cedarville Stories podcast reaches back to the beginning of the show in September 2019 for this rebroadcast with Chuck Clevenger.

Chuck is a Renaissance Man. He taught concert piano and watercolor art at Cedarville for 33 years. He runs his own art business. He is a curriculum developer, having led the creation of Cedarville’s flagship general education course, Introduction to Humanities.

Chuck is also an outstanding teacher, named Faculty of the Year in 2002. He is a devoted husband, dad, and grandfather.

But you’ll find at the heart of this Renaissance Man is a Great Commission Man. He is a disciple-maker who invests in his students so they might use their gifts to bring God glory now and in the ages to come. He is a man with eternal intentionality.

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Chuck is an exceptional watercolorist and sells his original artwork, as well as lithographic prints, through Clevenger Fine Art.

One of Chuck's most satisfying experiences as a professor was teaching Macy McClain, who has been blind since birth, how to play the piano.

Mission to the (United) Nations

In this holiday rebroadcast, we get reacquainted with a remarkable young man we first met on the Cedarville Stories podcast back in January of this year.

Rufus Mathew grew up in Bahrain and never heard of Cedarville University. So how did he end up on the other side of the globe at this school in the cornfields? After all, Bahrain and Cedarville are a mere 7,000 miles apart and 20 hours by plane from one to the other.

Rufus’ story is a testimony to the Lord’s amazing work of bringing students to campus. He decided to study cybersecurity at Cedarville, a program recognized by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). Remarkable, right? Sure, but then consider where his sights are set for his career — the United Nations.

Rufus completed a very selective internship at the U.N. during the summer of 2019 with students from top-tier programs around the world. Learn more about this surprising, globe-trotting student who believes he is called to represent Christ on an international stage.
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Rufus is majoring in computer science – cyber operations at Cedarville, which has been recognized as one of only 20 programs in the United States that meets the National Security Agency’s rigorous education standards.

Anticipating the Blessed HopeCedarville 1989 alumna Donna VanLiere has experienced tremendous success as a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her 21 titles, many of them Christmas-themed, have sold hundreds of thousands of copies, and six have become made-for-television movies, among them The Christmas Shoes and The Christmas Blessing.

And although she loves writing and views it as a gift from the Lord, the greater gifts in her life are Grace, Kate, and David, who she and her husband, Troy, adopted internationally from China and Guatemala. Donna sees herself first as a mom, and writes only when the kids are at school.

Donna’s latest literary endeavor veered from the holiday motif to biblical prophecy. She realized while sitting in church one day that it had been some time since she had heard a message on God’s judgment or the return of Christ. She felt God’s nudging to write The Time of Jacob’s Trouble, which released this spring, and includes a look at end times teaching in Scripture.

In this year where anxiety and fear has spread as quickly as the COVID-19 virus, Donna points to God’s sovereign plan and faithfulness to fulfill His promises as Christians’ rock-solid foundation for peace and hope. This is what the Church, and the world, need to hear.

“I wish people would go into the Word, and say, ‘I know these are hard truths, but Jesus said these days would come; Jesus said there would be pandemics, there would be plagues,’ but He also said, ‘When you see these things begin to happen, lift up your head, look up, because your redemption is drawing near,’” Donna shares during the podcast. “Troy and I both had COVID. We’re still here, and I still know that things are looking up. I’m still looking for a blessed hope.”
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Donna’s latest holiday story, The Christmas Table, is now available at your local bookstore.

Openhanded When You’re Losing Your Grip

For 2014 alumna Ali (Stein) Christian, she had a carefully thought out plan in mind when she graduated from Cedarville University. But in just a few short years, Ali has learned the value of holding your hopes and dreams with open hands.

In 2019, Ali was diagnosed with stage 4 Hodgkin lymphoma. It was a shock for Ali and her husband, 2014 alumnus Ben, as there was no history of cancer in her family. But in April 2019, she began chemo. In August 2020, she received a stem cell transplant.

And although she had to be away from her husband and best friend, and her two precious little girls, Willow, 3, and Ali, 5, the Lord met her during three difficult months of recovery. Her mom and she lived in an apartment in Atlanta, not far from the hospital, and during that time she wrote notes to her husband and the girls, and to other friends and family. The Lord spoke peace to her heart, reminding her that even though she could not be with her family, He was with them.

Back home, she has seen Jesus redeem her ongoing experience through her podcast, “The Whether Channel.” On her podcast, she talks with others who have undergone a wide array of suffering, from serious illness, to eating disorders, sexual abuse, and other types of loss.

“Even if He doesn’t deliver me from cancer, or even if He doesn’t make COVID go away as quickly as I would like, I don’t need to choose an idol of comfort or fear or self-medicating or eating or anything that we can be tempted to cling onto when we are living in uncertain times,” she said in the Cedarville Stories podcast. “We don’t need to choose those things because He’s always there, and He’s always offering joy and peace, and He’s truly where the joy and peace are.”
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To hear Ali’s podcast, “The Whether Channel,” download from Apple podcast or Spotify.

Embracing Today

Pat Estepp, head coach of the Cedarville men’s basketball team, admits feeling like a turtle on a fencepost: How did I get here? But Pat has learned not to linger on questions like that, but to enjoy God’s blessings for the days that He has given.

The Lord has given Pat much to enjoy in his 13 years at Cedarville: six 20-win seasons over 13 years; five national tournament appearances; and two National Christian College Athletic Association championships, the most recent in 2019.

Pat’s connection to Cedarville started with legendary men’s basketball coach Don Callan, who encouraged Pat to come play for him. He finally did that after one year studying at the University of Kentucky. His time as a student at Cedarville included a life-transforming trip to the Philippines with Coach Callan and some of his teammates, several of whom he now counts among his best friends.

Pat knows that with the Lord it’s OK to dream big, even during a season marked by uncertainty because of a global pandemic. He has high hopes for this season, but ultimately, he has learned to enjoy the Lord’s blessings in the here and now.

“Just embrace the day, the people and the journey you’re on with them, and don’t get caught up in what’s coming down the road. Whether or not we’re going to have a basketball season, or if we’re going to get quarantined — those things can’t dominate our thoughts. Let’s enjoy this moment we have with 15 guys, or with my wife and kids, that I may not have again. Embrace that, enjoy that day, and live in the hope that God’s got all this.”

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Pat is one of two NCAA Division II coaches serving on the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Board of Directors.

Thankful for Biblical Community

Long-lasting friendships, godly mentors, and faculty helping him grow as a student and a believer in Jesus Christ. That’s what inspired and motivated Derrick Green, assistant professor of communication and chair of the department of communications, when he was a student at Cedarville, and it makes him passionate about investing in students now.

Cedarville was not on Derrick’s radar as a student; in fact, his first time on campus was the semester he started classes. But a church friend of his family convinced Derrick and his parents to give this school in the cornfields a try. When his mom and dad met Dr. Jim Phipps and heard his promise that Derrick would be cared for, that was enough to give them peace that their son would do well. Dr. Phipps became Derrick’s campus dad, they began what has become a lifelong friendship.

After serving at Kansas State University, Derrick returned to the faculty of his alma mater in 2002, and he’s never looked back. And Cedarville is so much the better for it. Derrick has been a committed faculty member, devoted friend, and caring mentor, returning the gift that he received when he was student.

“I understand that if a faculty member is struggling, we’re going to be able to pray about it, and there’s going to be an expectation that we pray about it,” he said. “Every day that I pray for my students, I always pray for the challenges they’re facing, but I always include in that prayer that God would bring other believers around them that they may be able to experience biblical community. That is what really gets me excited.”
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As the chair of the Kingdom Diversity Committee, Derrick is also helping the university live out its identity as a place where all in Christ, regardless their race or background, can feel welcome and thrive.

Remembering Dr. Michael Firmin

On October 27, Dr. Michael Firmin, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, went home to be with the Lord, just 12 days after recording this podcast.

Dr. Firmin joined the faculty of Cedarville University in 1998. In addition to teaching, he served as a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist and preaching pastor at Berea Bible Church in Springfield, Ohio. He was also editor of a professional journal and author of 120 peer-reviewed research papers.

Dr. Firmin worked tirelessly with students to help them prepare research for presentation and publication. “My mission has been to invest my life in students, so that they achieve their potential,” he said during the podcast. “As they impact others, my ministry multiplies. I want them to go beyond me.”

He was committed to biblical integration and maintained a rigorous study of the Word of God and Koine Greek. Dr. Firmin's high standards, vast array of interests, and dedication to scholarship were unrivaled. His commitment to the success of Cedarville was unequaled.

Dr. Firmin’s family has been impacted by cancer, and this shaped the way he viewed his life. His words near the end of the broadcast are a strong reminder that Dr. Firmin was living his life with his heart and mind set on eternity. Are we?

“When I wake up, I tell God I will do my best: ‘this is Your day for Your honor and Your glory, because I might not have tomorrow,’” he said. “Then my record will be in the book, and for me it will be time for heaven.”

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Steadfast Love Through Many Trials

For Beth Delaney, life has been a process of learning what she can control, and what she can’t. And finding the balance between the two, and learning to be dependent on Jesus through it all, has given her a resilient faith and a steadfast love for the Lord.

Dr. Delaney, Associate Professor of Nursing, grew up in nearby Xenia. Her father became addicted to pain medications and alcohol as he struggled to recover from a devastating traffic accident. In spite of the difficulties at home, her mom was committed to taking Beth and her brother to church. Then when she met husband Greg in high school, she started attending his family’s church in Xenia, and she grew in her relationship with Jesus there.

During their 34 years of marriage, Greg and she have wrestled with Greg’s own addiction to alcohol, which began as a way to cope with the stresses that came with being an incredibly successful international business professional. In the end, they lost the business, and Beth and Greg walked through bankruptcy. Their faith survived that ordeal, and they are now serving the Lord in powerful ways ministering to those currently in the midst of substance abuse disorder.

Beth’s career has led her to care for and walk alongside those facing another painful trial – a terminal cancer diagnosis. As a nurse and family nurse practitioner, she has focused on oncology, palliative care, and hospice, currently with the Dayton Physicians Group.

“When you stand at the bedside of thousands of people who have left this earth and go into eternity, you learn a lot of things,” she explains in the podcast. “What I have learned is what I have control over, which is not much, and what I do have control over is what Jesus said, ‘Love God and love others.’ That I have control over every single day.”

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Last year, Beth was named to the Ohio Attorney General’s Scientific Committee on Opioid Prevention and Education (SCOPE).

Making Music for Nearly 50 Years

Lyle and Connie Anderson are an amazing couple, and the way they’ve made music at Cedarville University has made an eternal difference in the lives of hundreds of students.

Dr. Lyle Anderson, Senior Professor of Music, and his wife, Connie, Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy and Director of the Keyboard Pedagogy Program, have a combined 97 years teaching at Cedarville. They celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary this summer.

“Cedarville is where we met, and both of us are alumni,” Lyle said in an interview this fall. “We thank God for how He orchestrated all of that, that we have been able to serve arm in arm.”

Serving on mission together in the United States and around the world has been part of their amazing legacy, starting with a family missions trip to Australia in 1982 when their children, Lori and Eric, were 6 and 8 years old respectively.

Lyle and Connie plan to keep on teaching. “Connie and I are blessed with good health and want to go as long as the Lord confirms we should,” Lyle said. “It’s been an overwhelming blessing to be able to prepare students to integrate their faith through this medium of music.”

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Lyle and Connie have been longtime mentors in Cedarville Fit to Be Tied program for engaged student couples.

Grateful for a Painful Trial

Professor of Social Work George Huff has seen his share of trials: the difficulties of families struggling with life challenges, the suffering of abuse victims trying to recover and find hope. But one of the greatest trials George encountered was his own.

On July 21, 2014, George was riding home from Cedarville on his bicycle when he was sideswiped by a truck and catapulted into a nearby farmer’s field. He was immediately in excruciating pain, going in and out of consciousness, vaguely aware of a good Samaritan who stopped to help him, and the words of emergency crews as they determined the best way to transport him to a local hospital.

His time in the hospital was also harrowing and painful as doctors discovered that his spleen had been crushed in the accident and he was bleeding to death internally. After surgery to stop the bleeding and two weeks in trauma care, George was released home, but this was one more step in a very long journey back to health.

Although he was certain several times he would die, and even though he suffered greatly, George’s perspective is unwavering: God was watching his way, even in the midst of the accident, and He has a plan even in this.

“Though I planned my paths that day to ride my bicycle, He directed my steps,” George shares in the podcast. “In 1 Thessalonians 5 it says, ‘Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all things’ (v.16-18). Many of us won’t be hit by a truck, but we will feel like we’ve been hit by a truck. What should our reaction be? Are we going to give thanks? I want to give thanks for being hit by a truck.”

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George shared the story of his accident and recovery in a video shown during the Thanksgiving Chapel service in 2014.

Making Disciples for Hard Places

When Assistant Professor of Missions and Theology Dr. Matt Bennett was a kid, a missionary from the Middle East would visit his family’s church every couple of years. She was taking Bibles into places without the Scriptures, which he thought was amazing. “I prayed after those services, ‘Lord, I love what You’re doing to make Your name known in hard places, but don’t make me do that.’ It’s just where my heart was at growing up and early on during college.”

The Lord heard Matt’s prayer, but answered by giving him a heart for hard places. When he met his wife, Emily, she too had a desire to be used by God to bring the Gospel to places where Jesus was not known. Their calling was confirmed during a missions conference in 2003, but it was eight years later, in 2011, when they finally had a destination and were on the ground serving.

It took time to gain traction in their new community, but that eventually came. Matt found it easy to have conversations about the Gospel with their Muslim friends and neighbors, who were kind and engaging and very open to discussing spiritual matters.

Then the Lord started preparing the Bennetts for another move. They knocked on many ministry doors that would have kept them on the mission field, but it was an opportunity at Cedarville, to train disciples who would make disciples of the nations, that the Lord eventually opened. Matt joined the faculty in 2017.

“Our students have come here because they have a vision for coming to a school shaped by the Word of God and the Testimony of Jesus Christ,” Matt shared. “A lot of the students who come into my office are not Bible majors. They are studying a vocation — engineering or nursing or business — that will prepare them to go into the hard places to bring the Gospel. I love that missions is a part of the heartbeat of Cedarville.”

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Matt is the author of 40 Questions About Islam, which came out this spring. Each question explains some dimension of Islamic theology and offers ideas on how to practically have discussions about faith.

The Impact of a Cracked Pot

For 43 years, Charlie Pagnard has faithfully instructed students in trumpet, music, band, and orchestra. His investment in their lives has gone far beyond music to include walking with them in the day-to-day decisions of faith. But for Charlie, that he’s had any impact for Jesus at all is a miracle in itself.

Charlie made his decision to trust Jesus at a revival when he was 12. But by high school, he had drifted from his commitment to Christ. He prospered in his skill at trumpet, earning a full-ride scholarship at Bowling Green State University. The drift continued as he joined a rock band that opened for such well-known 60s acts as the Carpenters, Three Dog Night, and Gladys Knight and the Pips.

After giving birth to their first son, his wife, Elaine, confronted Charlie about giving up the touring life. Under the Lord’s strong compulsion, he left the band and pursued a career in music education, which eventually led him to Cedarville. He has never looked back.

Although he is an accomplished musician in his own right, his greatest accomplishments have been the spiritual impact Elaine and he have had on their two sons, Charles, Jr., and Christian; their five grandchildren; and the lives of countless students.

“I am so humbled to look back at how things could have gone,” he said. “My decisions early on should have ended up in ruin. I shouldn’t have had the wonderful marriage I have now or have the two sons I have. I was so reckless at the beginning. In many ways, I’m such a crackpot, and also a cracked pot.”

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Charlie has played with the Cincinnati Symphony, the Opera Orchestra of the Virgin Islands, and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and serves as principal trumpet for the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and first trumpet for the award-winning Carillon Brass.

Pointing to Christ in the Field of Law

John Hart, General Counsel for Cedarville University, could have had a long and distinguished career with the U.S. Coast Guard. He does love salt water and sailing, having spent most of his growing-up years on Long Island. But it was the law that captured his interest, not the sea.

Hart graduated from Cedarville in 1981 and went to work for the University in admissions. His interest in combining his love of the law with his desire to help Christian ministries was developed and refined during this time. He graduated from the University of Dayton School of Law, worked there as legal counsel for 27 years, and has been at his alma mater for the last eight years.

Throughout his career, Hart has never seen a divide between the secular aspects of what he does and the sacred. He sees his calling as a combination of the two: Yes, he wants to represent Cedarville well in legal proceedings, but he wants to do so in a kind, professional, and winsome way.

“The lawyer on the other side of a case may not be a Christian, or their client may not be a Christian,” he said. “I want to advocate and represent the University in a way that is God-honoring.”

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John has a flair for the dramatic. He performed in theatre productions during his time as a student, and he saw that passion for the arts come full circle with his daughter Madison, a 2016 alumna, performing on the same stage in Alford Auditorium. She is pursuing an acting career in New York City.

John attended Huntington Christian School on Long Island, the same alma mater as Kim Jenerette, Cedarville’s Executive Director of Financial Aid.

As a prospective student, Jeff Beste, Director of Strategic Relations, didn’t even want to attend Cedarville. He was looking for a different college experience and felt he wasn’t spiritual enough to belong on a campus with students who were more serious about their faith.

But Jeff’s parents gave him a compelling option: go wherever he wanted but pay for it himself or attend Cedarville for a year. Jeff figured he would transfer after that first year. That offer was made 38 years ago. Jeff found a place to thrive educationally and professionally, but more than that, personally and spiritually.

During his collegiate years, he joined Swordbearers, a precursor to today’s HeartSong teams, and found his experience transformative as the team stayed with host families and served at Christian camps.

“What really influenced me more than anything?” Jeff shared. “It wasn’t the Bible classes; it wasn’t chapel; it wasn’t our president, Dr. Dixon, although all of those things had an influence in my life. What really impacted me was the fact there were students my age who, first of all, were excited about their walk with the Lord, and secondly, were concerned about my walk with the Lord.”

Hymns sung by her grandma. Big-picture questions from a college philosophy class. A three-hour conversation with Mary Alice Jeremiah. The witness of women’s sports teams from Cedarville. All were benchmarks on Pam Johnson’s unique path to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Pam, who is Cedarville Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Senior Professor of Kinesiology and Allied Health, heard hymns when she lived with her grandparents for five years. Next, her middle sister gave her life to Christ and shared with Pam. Then Pam earned a full-ride scholarship to the University of Dayton, where God used a philosophy class to spur her thinking about the bigger questions of life.

That class prompted a two-year search for answers, which included a three-hour discussion with Maryalyce Jeremiah, the daughter of former president Dr. James Jeremiah. During a field hockey tournament in Indiana, she witnessed a sold-out faith in Cedarville players during the evening devotions. One of the Cedarville players sat down with Pam to talk further, and she placed her trust in Jesus. It was November 1, a Catholic holiday.

“I had a gazillion questions,” she related. “But I got to the point where I was (thinking), ‘This is what I’m looking for; I need to ask Christ to be my personal Savior.’ So, I got to become a saint on All Saints’ Day. Isn’t that just cool?”

2015 Cedarville alumna Rachel Hartley was a preoperative nurse in a Lynchburg, Virginia, hospital at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. By mid-April, she was working as a night shift ICU nurse at Brooklyn Langone Hospital, serving exclusively COVID patients.

Rachel and her husband, Taylor, have organized their lives so they can respond quickly to opportunities the Lord provides for them to serve. Like good sailors, they are prepared to tack as the winds change. As her work hours in Lynchburg reduced, calls for ICU nurses in NYC increased, and she and Taylor knew how the Lord was leading.

They sailed their boat, Turning Points, 30 hours from the Chesapeake Bay to Brooklyn. Once on site, Rachel was overwhelmed by the impact of COVID on the Big Apple. It felled young and old alike, and the tractor-trailers converted into makeshift morgues were a sobering reminder each day of the power of this healthcare tsunami.

“It just gives me thankfulness to the Lord for my personal health,” she said, “for the ability to be here and to help out, and to use the skills and the training the Lord had equipped me with. It was like, ‘Wow, they need help.’ We hadn’t seen anything like this.”

Angie Mickle, Dean of the Cedarville School of Nursing, had never had a headache until a couple days before Halloween 2019. But when she had her first one, it was a real doozy.

The headache that began on a Sunday stayed with her through Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. When she saw her family doctor, her neurological work-up was solid, and he suggested it might be stress. But when her pain became so debilitating over the weekend that she was unable to drive home from Columbus after an event, she knew for certain it was more than stress. Her CT scan on November 5 showed a brain tumor.

And even though the initial diagnosis was terminal (it turned out to be benign), Angie experienced an overwhelming sense of peace. The successful nine-hour surgery removed most of the 4 1/2-centimeter meningioma. At the Lord’s leading, Angie later named the tumor “Joy,” referencing James 1:2-4. The surgeons thought “Joy” had been growing for 15 to 20 years undetected.

“I immediately wanted to find a way to witness to people,” Angie shared. “By showing my friends, family, and my students pictures of my tumor, I was able to show how much vascular loss I had inside my head. But God was still sovereign. I had been able to accomplish so much with this tumor, with no knowledge that it was there, and He was just taking care of everything.”

Mike DiCuirci, senior professor emeritus of music, was introduced to alcohol at age 12, and by high school it was a dominant feature of his life. Drinking, drugs, and a “riotous and hedonistic life” became the norm through his teen years, during college at the University of Michigan, and afterwards as he began his career as a school music teacher.

After knocking back 25 gin and tonics one night, he demolished the van he was driving, but came away virtually unscathed. For the first time, he entertained the idea he might have a drinking problem. After marriage to the love of his life, Joanne, he saw an old friend who was newly sober. “I offered him a cold beer and he said, ‘Oh, I don’t drink anymore; I’m an alcoholic.’ ‘If you’re an alcoholic, what does that make me?’” Mike began attending Alcoholics Anonymous and had his last drink in 1974. God was drawing him.

In his quest for truth, Mike read a book about Dave Boyer, a Christian swing musician. As it turned out, Boyer was going to perform and speak in Plymouth, Michigan, where Mike and Joanne had settled down. For the first time, he heard about Jesus, not as a historic figure or a great teacher, but as the living savior who could transform his life. Joanne and he began attending a local church, and they prayed the sinner’s prayer with their pastor.

“Everyone who trusts in Christ, whether they’re young, old, dramatic, or not dramatic (story of salvation), is a walking miracle and has a life message to share. You can share your life story, and it will have an impact.”

Jesus Is the Messiah

Dr. Michael Sherr, Chair of the Cedarville University Department of Social Work, grew up in a conservative Jewish home and attended Hebrew school. He even has a Hebrew name – Mordecai – like the caretaker of Esther in the Old Testament. But throughout his childhood, he had questions prompted by conflicts at home and in his extended family.

After he married his wife, Stacey, he faced one of the most difficult challenges for any child at any age — the loss of a parent. At 23 years old, after the death of his grandfather, several months after his mother’s passing from colon cancer, the big questions began to rise in his heart and mind: Is there a God? What’s the purpose of life?

“I just decided one day to open up a Bible, and I prayed, “Lord, teach me what you want me to learn. And honestly, I’ve been doing that every day since,” Michael explains in the podcast.

From that day forward, the Gospel and the Word of God have been the lenses through which he evaluates and interprets everything, from the impact of the current COVID pandemic on social interactions to how he teaches and conducts research in his discipline. “Yes, I am Jewish, but Jesus is the Messiah. If there’s one thing I know in this world, that honestly is the only thing I would say is completely and utterly true,” Michael affirmed. “That and the authority of Scripture.”

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Michael and his colleague and brother in Christ, Dr. Christson Adedoyin, are looking at the way social distancing is impacting human interactions.

Michael is one of the founders of the recently formed Association of Christians in Health and Human Services.

Why would a man happily immersed in a great family life, fulfilling ministry, and a job he loved make a major move and uproot all this blessing? Because the Giver of all that blessing had called, and His timing and provision can be trusted.

1999 alumnus Jason Grahame is Director of Cedarville’s up-and-coming physician assistant (PA) program, which is scheduled to begin in 2023, pending external approvals. Before his new role, he was a PA in private practice and also Associate Program Director for the Physician Assistant Program at Eastern Virginia Medical School.

But when he spoke to Cedarville President Dr. Thomas white in 2019, and found out that his alma mater was thinking about a PA program, the wheels were set in motion for him and his wife, Charity, and their seven children, ages 2½ to 17, to make a major life change.

Even though COVID-19 impacted their transition to Cedarville, the Grahame family has been welcomed by long-time friends to the campus community. Even with the PA program, Jason has learned that the Lord is sovereign over the process, and he has learned, just as he did with God’s initial call, to trust the Lord’s provision and timing, not his own.

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Jason’s wife, Charity, is a constant source of encouragement and prayer support, reminding him of inspiring verses such as Isaiah 40:31.

Jason and the new PA program are part of Cedarville’s new School of Allied Health, established this summer.

Susan Plemons has learned well the lessons of Psalm 119:50: “My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life.” That has especially been true during the seven years she has taught vocal music at Cedarville.

Born and raised in the South, and still holding a soft spot in her heart for Dallas, Texas, Susan came north when her husband, Ron, was called to serve as pastor of First Baptist Church in Fairborn. After teaching at private and public K-12 schools, the last one Wayne High School in Huber Heights, Ohio, the Lord opened a door for her to teach at Cedarville. “That was a God thing,” Susan explained.

She began at Cedarville in 2013, but in 2017 she discovered a larger reason for God moving her here: Ron died unexpectedly at age 54 from a heart condition. With no family ties locally, she looked at jobs in Nashville and other points South that would take her closer to loved ones. But as she struggled about her future, the Lord’s still small voice spoke to her, “I just didn’t bring you to Cedarville for this, but for now, and for your future.”

The Lord, in His goodness, also answered the desire of her heart, unexpectedly calling a nephew and his family to serve at the church where her husband had pastored. And that very family was there for her in early 2019 when she nearly died from renal failure, sepsis, double pneumonia, and a racing heartbeat that could very quickly have turned into a heart attack. At every turn, Susan is learning in deeper ways that it is the Lord who is preserving her life.
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In 2017, Susan established the Dr. Ron and Mrs. Susan Plemons Memorial Scholarship, in honor of her husband.

Susan has led the Old Fashioned Hymn Sing event at Cedarville.

Internship of Pandemic Proportions

Sending out isolation and quarantine orders. Delivering food and water to COVID-19 patients recovering at home. Contact tracing. For Cedarville University senior Hayley Penrose, her summer internship has taken on a significance of pandemic proportions.

Penrose has been serving this summer with the Clark County Combined Health District. Her work experience began with the health district’s “Help Me Grow” program for mothers and their young children, but by the middle of May, she was one of 16 staff members, plus several epidemiologists, contact tracing positive COVID-19 cases.

Beginning in the middle of June, Penrose switched from contact tracing to the Housing and Support Needs Team, where she fulfills requests from Clark County residents who are isolated or quarantined.

Penrose, a resident of Springfield, Ohio, and graduate of Emmanuel Christian High School, is also educating and demonstrating for clients what healthy COVID-19 habits look like. “I don’t mind wearing a mask and practicing social distancing as a health measure if it means I can help my community heal from the pandemic,” she explained.
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To read more about Hayley’s internship, click here.

Hayley was able to serve in the community where she grew up — Springfield, Ohio. She is a graduate of Emmanuel Christian Academy.

Informed in the StormDr. Zach Jenkins, Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice, has become one of the leading infectious disease experts in Ohio. He is also a big hit with the media. Over the last four months, Zach has been interviewed over 60 times by media from the east coast to the west coast and many places in between. His calm demeanor, insightful research, and clear presentation of the facts have made him a voice of reason in the midst of uncertainty, fear, and anxiety.

Zach, however, is humbled by the interest in his expertise. By his own admission, infectious disease was one of his least favorite subjects during his pharmacy education. But respected instructors mentored him and helped him develop a love and interest in the field.

“God positions people and equips them in ways that you don’t expect,” Zach shares in the podcast. “God positioned me in a way to be here right now, that I would never have thought of. That’s been an amazing thing to think about.”

As much as Zach appreciates being a calming influence sharing the latest data, his focus is ultimately on the Lord. As helpful as the scientific data are in determining how to navigate the pandemic, Jesus is the only one who can truly guide us through this healthcare storm.

Trophy of God’s Grace

Mike DiCuirci served on the music faculty at Cedarville for 37 years. He helped shape the music department into a nationally acclaimed program, founded the jazz and symphonic bands, developed the college pep band, and wrote the Cedarville fight song.

Even though his accomplishments are remarkable, Mike will quickly point to the One who made it all possible, the Lord Jesus. Mike came to Christ as a young man after facing a serious alcohol problem, which nearly cost him his life. He began seeking the Lord, first at a Christian concert and then at a church family seminar. Finally, he and his wife, JoAnn, who have been married 45 years, committed their lives to Christ while meeting with their pastor.

It’s quite a story, and one that Mike relishes in sharing, because it is Jesus who gets the credit and honor. Mike’s life verse is 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things pass away; behold, all things become new.”

As he shares in the podcast, “I experienced that transformation. By the way, everyone who trusts in Christ, whether they’re young, old, dramatic, or not dramatic (story of salvation), is a walking miracle and has a life message to share.” It’s easy to see how Mike DiCuirci became known to his colleagues as a trophy of God’s grace.

Dr. Kevin Jones, the new Dean for Cedarville University’s School of Education, has a vision to see Cedarville graduates teaching in every city and every country, at Christian schools and public schools. He wants to see them instructing students as unto the Lord for the glory of the Lord, living out the Great Commission.

Kevin started his career as a first-grade teacher in Lexington, Kentucky, after completing a bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Kentucky State University in 2004. Next, he shifted to fifth-grade physical education and health in Louisville, Kentucky.

After receiving a master’s degree in education from the University of Kentucky, he switched his focus to postsecondary training of future teachers. He earned his doctorate in education from Spalding University in 2016.

Kevin desires to please the Lord in all he does. And as he keeps Jesus number one, he knows the Lord will open doors for the Gospel among those who observe his passion and commitment. Whether it’s teaching a first-grader how to sound out a letter or coaching a future educator, Kevin sees his vocation as a stewardship from God. His faith is his career.

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Prior to arriving at Cedarville as Dean of the School of Education, Kevin had spoken a number of times in chapel.

Kevin sees the role of an educator as pedagogical and sociological, but even more, as theological.

When Gabe Woodruff, a student in Cedarville’s Master of Science in Nursing – family nurse practitioner (FNP) program, got the call to serve his country, he didn’t hesitate. As a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves, he went with his medical unit to care for COVID-19 patients in downtown Detroit when the pandemic was at its worst this spring.

The sudden shift and several months of separation was hard for Gabe, his wife, Kayla, and his family, but throughout the crisis, he was reminded that God could be trusted. “One of the things my wife and I would tell each other is if we trust God with our eternal security, why wouldn’t we trust him with our present circumstances,” he shares in the podcast.

Throughout this unique time, Gabe has learned that God’s plans are better than his own. And he has developed a deeper appreciation for God’s sovereignty, especially in times of tremendous upheaval.

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Gabe’s unit treated overflow patients from Detroit hospitals in a 1,600-bed field hospital set up at the TCF Center, formerly Cobo Hall and Cobo Center, home to the North American International Auto Show, which Cedarville students have attended in the past to demonstrate their Supermileage vehicles.

Gabe wants to bring his faith into his FNP practice, and he chose Cedarville’s M.S.N. – FNP program because of its strong biblical integration.

A Time for Intentionality

For Dr. Patrick Oliver, the recent events surrounding the death of George Floyd have been doubly painful. As a law enforcement leader for more than 40 years, Patrick viewed the actions of the Minneapolis officers with deep disappointment as he saw police brutality and the failure to protect an individual’s constitutional rights. As an African-American man, he saw another incident of a white officer treating a Black American without care and compassion.

In his new role as the lead consultant for Ohio’s newly formed Office of Law Enforcement Recruitment, he has the opportunity to speak into one of the most important functions of a law enforcement agency – the hiring of officers. “Police agency transformation begins with hiring quality officers,” he said.

In these difficult days, now more than ever is the time for the Church to step up and live out Jesus’ command to love our neighbors. It’s also a time for self-reflection: How many of us have a close personal relationship with a person who doesn’t look like us? How many are willing to speak up when there’s an incidence of unlawful force? How many are studying their Bibles each day and allowing God’s Word to transform them? How many are praying for elected officials? How many are voting at every election? How many are willing to serve in public office? How many are sharing the Gospel with the unsaved world?

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Patrick’s book, “Recruitment, Selection & Retention of Law Enforcement Officers” is available at looseleaflaw.com; the first chapter is available to download for free here.

Patrick served for 27 years in law enforcement. He was named the first African-American police chief for Grandview Heights, Fairborn, and Cleveland, Ohio, his hometown.

Born for Law Enforcement

For 27 ½ years, Dr. Patrick Oliver, director of Cedarville’s criminal justice program, served in various roles in law enforcement: a trooper with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, ranger chief with the Cleveland Metropolitan Parks, an officer with the Cleveland Division of Police, and then the city of Cleveland’s first African-American police chief. He later served as police chief in Grandview Heights, Ohio, and Fairborn, Ohio.

Over the last 15 years, God has used Patrick to establish the criminal justice program at Cedarville, which has produced police officers, parole officers, intelligence analysts, and forensic scientists who are committed to the safety and well-being of communities, cities, and the country.

In addition to these influential roles, Patrick was recently appointed as the lead consultant to Ohio’s newly formed Office of Law Enforcement Recruitment, where he will be able to shape the way that law enforcement leaders throughout the state select officers.

Patrick credits his father, a career police officer, for being a powerful example who influenced his career path. Ultimately, however, he credits his Heavenly Father for giving him the passion to serve and protect. As Patrick says, “Law enforcement is what I was born to do.”

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Patrick is the founder of a mentoring organization, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Professionals, or NOBLE.

Patrick is a firm believer that for humanity the “heart of the problem is the problem of the heart,” and cites Jeremiah 17:9 for evidence.

Episode 23 │ Jeff Beste - People Connector

Jeff Beste, Cedarville’s Director of Strategic Relations, is well suited for his role developing and maintaining connections with parents, alumni, and supporters of Cedarville University. His 32-year career, from admissions, to Christian ministries, student life, alumni relations, and serving as an adjunct math instructor, has been all about people — building relationships and serving them well in Jesus’ name.

Not bad for a guy who planned to have only a tiny connection with Cedarville for a year and then move on to another school. But that one year as a student turned into five where he earned his degree and was changed by the connections God brought him with Cedarville “heroes” who shaped his faith and his life.

Then when Jeff returned to work for Cedarville, he was influenced even further by important connections with people like Dave Ormsbee, Jim Cato, and the legendary Dick Walker.

And as important as these pivotal connections have been, it’s his relationship with God that has influenced him the most. As Jeff has learned, all of life is worship to the One who is head over all, through whom the whole church is connected, Jesus Christ.

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You can hear Jeff’s heart for relationships in this video when he served as Director of Alumni and Parent Relations.

Jeff and his wife, Shelley, who first met at Cedarville in Fiddler on the Roof, are now not just alumni, but Cedarville parents whose oldest daughter, Kylie, graduated this year.

Two weeks after graduating from the Cedarville School of Nursing, 2019 alumna Virginia Walker was serving in an emergency room in Africa. She communicated with the rest of the medical staff, who spoke French and Lingala, with the help of a local translator. Such an unbelievable set of circumstances could only be arranged by a loving Father who knew that his child wanted to know the true meaning of “bold.”

Walker, now an emergency room nurse in Lansdowne, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C., quickly learned the limits of her personal resources, but discovered the unsearchable riches of His, during a two-month stint in a village hospital in the Congo. She lived with pain and suffering in a way that she never had before as she fought for the lives of patients against enormous obstacles, especially a 5-year-old named Lily.

Arriving back in the U.S., she was prepared for what God would bring next in her life, the battle with the deadly coronavirus pandemic. However, through every moment, whether in the Congo or the U.S., she is learning to “behold Christ’s glory with a yielded heart and an expectant faith.”

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Virginia has a great nickname, Sunshine, which tells a lot about the kind of person she is.

During her time at Cedarville, Virginia received encouragement, love, and support from The Cove, Cedarville’s academic enrichment center.

A lot of teachers try to disguise learning as fun. But 2003 Alumna Heidi Bruder has taken it to a whole new level.

Faced with the challenge of making online learning as fun and engaging as her interactive middle school classroom, Heidi dug deep for ideas. Really. She rooted around in a costume bin and before long she was showing up in teaching videos as a pirate and a mad scientist.

Friends and neighbors gave her more costumes and with some creative makeup, she came to online class as Hulk Hogan, Yoda, a Picasso painting, and a ventriloquist’s dummy, among many other fun characters.

For Heidi, it was one more example of trusting in the Lord and watching Him show up in an incredible way. From running on a national championship cross country team after she had given up running to forming a close bond with a middle schooler who intimidated her, she has seen Jesus meet her in amazing ways over and over again.

And, most amazing of all, is how the Lord has revealed himself as her loving, committed Father. There’s no disguising how much that means to Heidi.

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Heidi appeared in costume for Zoom teaching videos for her fifth-seventh graders every day during the pandemic.

Heidi ran for the 2001 Cedarville University cross country team that won national championships with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the National Christian College Athletic Association.

Making an arrest in the middle of a bar fight. Running into a burning building. Chasing down a guy with a gun. Sure, Steve Norris is heroic. But would he offer his own blood to arrest COVID-19? The answer: Yes!

Norris, a 2001 criminal justice alumnus who just earned his Master of Ministry degree in May, was diagnosed with COVID-19 this March. After he recovered, he heard about a local cardiologist who needed coronavirus convalescent plasma to help combat the sickness. Norris didn’t hesitate to do his part. While his plasma was not a match for the sick doctor, it was used to serve a different patient. And Norris has since given again.

For Norris, his career as a police officer, firefighter, and EMT is about putting the needs of others ahead of his own. But it’s his faith that informs his public service. For him, contributing plasma to help those most impacted by this deadly pandemic also comes from his desire to reflect the love that Jesus has for him by sharing, even in a small way, that love with others.

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With his donation, Steve became one of the first to contribute coronavirus convalescent plasma (CCP) as part of the Community Blood Center’s CCP-collection program.

Steve wasn’t certain about his major during his undergraduate years, but quickly found his passion once he committed to the criminal justice program. Then, 19 years later, he completed his Master of Ministry degree.

At the beginning of 2020, nursing alumna Rachel Hartley was working as a preoperative surgical nurse in Virginia, helping prepare 30 to 50 patients a day for elective and emergency surgery. But when the coronavirus began to sweep across the nation, surgeries dropped as her hospital readied itself for a surge of COVID-19 patients.

She began receiving emails from recruiters looking for nurses and healthcare workers to help out in New York City. Hartley, who trained as a critical care nurse in Columbus after Cedarville, felt the Lord nudging her to go. She and her husband, Taylor, decided to make the trip in their sailboat, Turning Points. A marina in Brooklyn, which normally charges up to $11,000 a month, offered to let them dock for free. God was confirming this step of faith.

Hartley credits both her undergrad and her current Cedarville Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner programs for preparing her well to meet the physical needs of patients while also meeting spiritual needs with the Good News of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ. Rachel Hartley is anchored by her faith.

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Rachel’s husband, Taylor, has his own photography business: thartleyphotography.com.

Rachel and Taylor’s story can also be found online at the Cedarville website.

Some people might say that 2017 Cedarville alumus Drew Brandt is kind of squirrely. He loves the outdoors, makes fun out of anything, has tons of energy, and embraces the unexpected like an old friend. After he and his friends made an unplanned journey into the Grand Canyon, you might even say he’s a little nutty.

Drew’s bride, Allie, can confirm that. She was planning a wedding in May, but ended up with Facetime nuptials in March with a pastor in Dallas and a living room sanctuary in Alabama because Drew saw the coronavirus coming. It was still a beautiful day with loved ones.

In high school, Drew wasn’t sure how to combine this adventurous spirit and his faith. There didn’t seem to be a way to match the two. But at Cedarville, he found the perfect place and people to combine his creative spirit with a deep love for the Lord.

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It makes sense that Drew’s major would be Innovative and Industrial Design.

His capstone project was an easy-to-build tree fort for parents with few building skills. That design helped him land his current job at KidKraft, where he gets to create outdoor play equipment.

Dr. Mark Caleb Smith is a professor of political science. His insight on politics and government makes him a media favorite, with more than 1,000 television, radio, print, and online interviews so far in his 16 years at Cedarville University. He has appeared in local, regional, and national news stories.

Dr. Smith is well informed, reading up on current events from one to three hours each day. He is ready for on-the-spot interviews with news crews that show up on campus and for pointed questions from his students about his take on what’s happening in the nation and around the globe.

Dr. Smith’s fair and objective analysis makes him a trustworthy source and a breath of fresh air for those who want to understand what’s happening in the world of politics. His worldview ensures that his perspectives are grounded in a view of government that is balanced and biblical.

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Dr. Smith is chair of Cedarville University’s Department of History and Government.

He is also director of the Center for Political Studies.

For Justin Cole, pharmacy and family are forever linked. Justin, who is Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice and Director of Cedarville’s Center for Pharmacy Innovation, grew up in a family of pharmacists and has fond memories of family reunions where his aunts and uncles would talk about their interesting and fulfilling work.

As a pharmacy student at Ohio Northern University, Justin got to observe Marc Sweeney, now Dean of Cedarville’s School of Pharmacy, not just as a professor, but as a Christian mentor, a husband, and a dad, since Marc served as advisor to Justin’s Christian student organization.

Doing research with colleague Aleda Chen, Justin is helping healthcare providers understand the cultural and religious beliefs that affect family decisions about vaccinations.

Justin is also a committed husband, dad, and follower of Jesus, who loves the Lord and the family of God. He is a family pharmacist.

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Justin also serves families in need through the Rocking Horse Community Health Center in Springfield, Ohio.

Justin and his wife, Michelle, are passionate about leading worship with their local church family at Grace Baptist in Cedarville.

Jeff Reep, Director of Career Services, had a great career playing basketball at Cedarville. The 1978 graduate was named a most valuable player for Yellow Jacket basketball, and is the fifth-leading scorer in school history.

After graduation, Jeff had a 22-year career coaching basketball. He was associate head coach at New Mexico State University for seven years when the Lobos had five-straight appearances in the NCAA “March Madness” Division 1 basketball tournament and a trip to the Sweet 16.

He came back to Cedarville to lead the men’s basketball program from 1995 to 2000, earning National Christian College Athletic Association Regional Coach of the Year honors twice.

For all of Jeff’s on-the-court success, it’s his role coaching students to careers where they can glorify God that gives him the most satisfaction. Jeff loves making a difference in the lives of students and has used many of his coaching strategies from basketball to help students discern and follow God’s plan for their postgraduation lives. Jeff is a career coach.

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Jeff was named staff member of the year in 2008 and was inducted into Cedarville University’s Athletes of Honor in 2010.

The Career Services office at Cedarville, which Jeff leads, offers career advice and strategies to soon-to-be graduates and alumni.

Before Connor Hart, a sophomore mechanical engineering student at Cedarville University, ever stepped foot on campus, he was already making a huge difference in the lives of others. Through the Hands of Hope Foundation, a nonprofit Connor started, children with a limb difference are able to receive a 3-D printed prosthetic.

But Connor’s servant heart didn’t stop there. With the coronavirus pandemic, Connor switched from prosthetics to 3-D printed masks for healthcare workers. He has already created and sent masks to nursing homes and medical professionals.

Connor’s love of using his engineering abilities to serve others comes from a deep conviction given to him by God when he was on a missions trip as a teenager. That faith-changing experience is continuing to make a difference in his life and in the lives of others.

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The Hands of Hope Foundation got its name from the first recipient of a hand prosthetic, Hope McGill.

Each of Connor’s masks can be sanitized and reused, meaning one mask could last for months if cared for properly.

Joy in Suffering

Dr. Angie Mickle, Dean of the Cedarville School of Nursing, began 2019 with a series of trials that severely tested her faith. On January 7, surgeons spent nine hours removing a benign tumor from her brain, which was originally thought to be malignant. Three days after the surgery, she had a stroke. And then while she was recovering at home in February, her seven-month-old grandson suddenly stopped breathing. She desperately tried to revive him, but he went to be with the Lord.

This tragic set of circumstances made her question Jesus and wonder aloud through many tears why He would permit so much suffering in her life. But the Lord met her over and over again, and she found a deeper trust in Him in her pain. Her inspiring story causes those who hear it to look more closely at their relationship with God. She testifies to the goodness and greatness of the Lord in the midst of her loss.

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In addition to serving as a leader in the School of Nursing, Dr. Mickle is also a major in the Air National Guard. She is a nurse practitioner and Chief Nursing Administrator for the 121st Medical Group at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base in Columbus, Ohio.

Mickle felt that God wanted her to name her tumor, which was benign. She decided to call it “Joy,” in view of James 1:2-4. Doctors told her the tumor likely had been growing in her brain for 15-20 years.

Every now and then, you meet someone whose name totally fits their personality. That’s Rah Jacob, Director of Advancement Experiences at Cedarville University.

Rah Jacob is a rah-rah kind of guy. He has a million-kilowatt smile, fun-loving personality, and a welcoming spirit that made him a beloved servant leader as a student, and now also as a staff member.

He is perfectly suited in his role to help current students and recent alums understand how vital they are to Cedarville thriving and being a place where future students can receive an excellent education and intentional discipleship under the authority of God’s Word.

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Rah applied to colleges in the Chicago-area, where he’s from, but fell in love with Cedarville during his one-and-only campus visit. He made quite an impact as a student, serving as president of the Student Government Association, and also as co-host for Elliv, the year-end student-led talent show.

Jon Wood, Vice President for Student Life and Christian Ministries, is one of Rah’s biggest mentors. Make sure to listen for the funny story of how Rah and Jon overcame a “ruff” beginning to their deep friendship.

Rah’s parents emigrated to the United States from India, and he and his family spent many summers of his growing-up years visiting family and friends there.

Resound-ing Success

For Jim Leightenheimer, Associate Professor of Communication, you might say the decision to return to his alma mater was a Resound-ing success. The 1980 Cedarville University graduate worked for several years as a Dayton, Ohio radio broadcaster, but returned to Cedarville when his former professor, Wes Baker, asked him to lead the communications department expansion into radio.

Mr. L., as he is fondly called by students and alumni, came back to Cedarville not only to teach but to create a student-run radio network. Starting in 1990, WSRN began broadcasting to students in the residence halls. Today, WSRN is known as Resound Radio and is reaching an international audience online. Resound Radio reflects Leightenheimer’s approach to expose his students to the latest technology and ways of communicating so they’re ready to enter the world of broadcasting prepared for success.

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Mr. L. has had a profound influence on the careers of many radio and television broadcast professionals, such as ABC news correspondent Paula Faris or WAY-FM afternoon show host Joy McBride.

Resound Radio began as a research project in Leightenheimer’s senior year at Cedarville. Resound celebrates its 30th birthday this year.

Faithful Daughter

While beginning college is hard for many students, it was even harder for Dalia Aknoukh.

Dalia’s family moved to the United States from Egypt when she was 5. Her family is close, and she loves and respects them very much. And in Egyptian culture, it’s common for the children to stay close to home, especially the daughters. But when it was time for college, Dalia wanted to go to a school where the Bible was taught in every course. This led her to Cedarville, 600 miles from her home north of New York City.

Her family struggled with her going to school so far away, but they agreed and realized that God’s hand was on Dalia. As her dad listened to Cedarville President Dr. Thomas White share the Gospel at commencement, he knew more than ever how right her choice was.

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Dalia earned a degree in chemistry from Cedarville in 2016. After that she enrolled in the physician assistant program at another university. Cedarville is scheduled to begin its own Physician Assistant program in 2022.

Dalia loved how much the Bible was a part of her Cedarville experience, from discipleship groups to the Bible minor to chapel Monday through Friday. One of her most memorable experiences was when the chapel was being renovated in 2016, and all the pews had been removed.

Dick Blanc, Executive Director of the Cedarville University Beyond Startup Accelerator, is an entrepreneur influencing culture. According to Blanc, entrepreneurs have an outsized impact on American culture. Blanc believes the Accelerator can develop hundreds of new culture-creating, biblical-worldview-holding entrepreneurs who can lead and change the future marketplace.

Through the entrepreneurship minor available to all majors on campus, through mentorship by Entrepreneurs in Residence, and through Pitch events, which allow students to present unique business concepts and current entrepreneurs to raise capital, the Beyond Accelerator is creating a campus culture at Cedarville for shaping the broader culture.

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On March 27, the Beyond Startup Accelerator will host an Investor Impact event, which will include a pitch event that has drawn companies from around the country to raise capital for their ventures.

In January, Cedarville hosted “The Second Pitch,” an event where Cedarville undergrads presented fresh business ideas for a chance to win cash prizes.

The Beyond Startup Accelerator has established an Angel Network of Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)-accredited investors.

Business Adventurer With a Biblical Compass

Dick Blanc ’82 is Executive Director of the newly formed Beyond Startup Accelerator, the business incubator at Cedarville University. Blanc has always liked venturing into the unknown, whether it’s sailing across the Atlantic Ocean at age 19 with a bunch of buddies or bootstrapping an entrepreneurial venture. He thrives when he’s given a clean sheet of paper and time to dream. But even a courageous captain needs dependable ways to navigate strange and exciting waters. That’s where Blanc’s yearly practice of reading through the Bible and tapping into the wisdom and counsel of a trustworthy and godly crew of friends comes in.

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Blanc is the Executive Director for the Beyond Startup Accelerator, which connects student and alumni entrepreneurs with expert counsel and potential sources of investment.

For the last 25-30 years, Blanc has made a habit of reading the entire Bible through in a year. That habit of soaking in the Scriptures began for Blanc during his undergraduate days. Cedarville offers a four-year Bible-reading plan for students to begin their own habit of feeding themselves from God’s Word.

Dr. J. Michael McKay, Assistant Professor of Biblical Theology, joined Cedarville’s faculty in the fall of 2017. This past fall he boarded 17 planes for various points around the globe. The most memorable travels were a training experience for pastors in Russia, where he taught through an interpreter, and a tour of the Holy Land with 20 Cedarville students. The trip to Israel, in particular, changed the way McKay experiences familiar stories in the Gospels. He came to love the Word of God more because the Scriptures interpreted and gave deeper and richer meaning to the famous biblical sites he was viewing.

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Dr. McKay and his students, including his three adult children, Alexis, Andrew, and Katherynn, toured the Holy Land over Christmas break, taking in famous historic sites and visiting the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Dr. McKay is also the author of a number of scholarly papers, looking at interpretive issues regarding the biblical text. A list of those papers can be found on Cedarville’s Digital Commons.

Dan DeWitt, Director of Cedarville’s Center for Biblical Apologetics and Public Christianity, is an award-winning author, a gifted illustrator, an influential speaker for the Gospel, a blogger, professor, and disciple-maker. He’s written apologetics books for adults and children and served as a campus church pastor at the University of Louisville. DeWitt thinks a lot about how to communicate the Gospel both in his words and his life. He doesn’t rush to reply when culture critiques Christian values and the Gospel, but lets his brain percolate, much like his favorite caffeinated beverage, so that when he speaks, he is clear, concise, and compelling.

DeWitt founded The Center for Biblical Apologetics and Public Christianity as a way to engage culture with the Gospel and to help Christians think about how to live their faith in the public square.

Dr. DeWitt’s first book, Jesus or Nothing, inspired an album of the same name by Christian hip-hop artist Flame.

DeWitt is a big fan of coffee. He has a weekly breakfast meeting with students that he calls “Mere Caffeination,” and his brew-minations about faith, life, and the intersection of the Gospel with culture can be found at Theolatte.com.

Glen Duerr is a man of many countries. He grew up in England, moved to Canada as a teenager, and earned his Ph.D. in the United States. He now lives in Beavercreek, Ohio, with his wife and three children. His life has prepared him well for his role as Associate Professor of International Studies at Cedarville University. Dr. Duerr is also a former semipro soccer player, Cedarville’s Model United Nations team coach, a sought-after media expert, a devoted husband and dad, but, most importantly, a man whose faith shapes the way that he sees the world.
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Dr. Duerr is an expert in international politics and has authored two books: “Secessionism and Terrorism: Blood, Bombs, and Independence in Europe and Eurasia” (London: Routledge, 2018); and “Secessionism and the European Union: The Future of Flanders, Scotland, and Catalonia” (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2015).

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dr. Duerr is also the coach of Cedarville’s highly successful Model United Nations Team, which has distinguished itself at the national competition at UN Headquarters in New York City.

Dr. Pam Johnson, Cedarville’s Dean of Undergraduate Studies, can lay claim to many accomplishments. She coached women’s tennis for 30 years and has been named to multiple athletic halls of fame. Her name, along with that of Dr. Murray Murdoch, Distinguished Professor of History and former men’s tennis coach, graces the Cedarville tennis complex. She was instrumental in starting Cedarville's academic support services. But when asked to name her greatest achievement, she recalls delivering a diploma to a student’s workplace, or helping a student have an “aha” moment. For all of her accomplishments, Dr. Johnson first and foremost loves helping students solve the puzzles of learning.

Dr. Johnson met her husband, Dr. Cliff Johnson, Cedarville’s Academic Vice President for Academics from 1964 to 1987, while they both served at the University. They were married for 24 years, until his homegoing to the Lord in 2018.

Dr. Pam Johnson, Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Senior Professor of Kinesiology and Allied Health, had a different kind of path to Cedarville University. Her first exposure to the school came as she competed against Cedarville athletes as a tennis player for the University of Dayton. She was moved by their compassion and kindness, and one Cedarville athlete, in particular, went out of her way to befriend Dr. Johnson, which led her to put her faith in Jesus Christ as her savior. She came to Cedarville in 1974 after finishing her Ph.D. from Ohio State University. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, she is also associate head coach for women’s tennis.

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Johnson was inducted into the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame in 2004 and the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) Hall of Fame in 2008. She was inducted into the Cedarville University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996.

Johnson is also the co-author of a book with her longtime friend, former Cedarville tennis head coach Dee Morris, “Physical Fitness and the Christian: Exercising Stewardship.”

Dr. Murray Murdoch, Distinguished Professor of History and Government, has served at Cedarville University since 1965. He came to the University at a time of great social upheaval in American society, a time when African-American leaders, such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., were voicing a message of love and equal opportunity for all. These themes continue to ring strong for Murdoch, who co-leads the annual Civil Rights Bus Tour during fall break. All are deserving of just and fair treatment as image bearers of God and as those for whom Jesus died.

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In addition to serving as a history professor at Cedarville, Murdoch was also the men’s tennis coach for many years, amassing a record 563 victories during a 29-year coaching career, and is a member of the Cedarville University Athletic Hall of Fame.

Murdoch is also an author, having written Portrait of Obedience: The Biography of Robert T. Ketcham and the 100-year history of Cedarville.

How does a young man living in Bahrain discover Cedarville University? After all, the two locations are only on opposite sides of the globe, more than 7,000 miles apart and a mere 20 hours by plane from one to the other. But that’s how far Cedarville sophomore Rufus Mathew traveled to study cybersecurity at a program recognized by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). Remarkable, right? Sure, but then consider where his sights are set for his career — the United Nations. Rufus just completed a very selective internship there this summer with students from top-tier programs around the world. Learn more about this surprising, globe-trotting student who believes he is called to represent Christ on an international stage.

Rufus is majoring in computer science – cyber operations at Cedarville, which has been recognized as one of only 20 programs in the United States that meets the National Security Agency’s rigorous education standards.

This summer, Rufus interned at the United Nations, where he met leaders from around the world.

One-line description: Cedarville sophomore Rufus Mathew has a mission to the nations — the United Nations.

Bethany Sibbitt, Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, was one of the first graduates of the Cedarville School of Pharmacy Pharm.D. program. When she imagined a future for herself in healthcare, pharmacy hadn’t been on her radar initially. But when she sat in a meeting with School of Pharmacy Dean Marc Sweeney, she realized the Cedarville program would be training pharmacists for an enlarged role in 21st century healthcare, a role that would include direct patient care. And now she’s casting that same vision for her students at Cedarville.

Dr. Sibbitt was recently honored with the Cedarville School of Pharmacy’s 2019 Alumni Award for Excellence in Education.

In 2018, The Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) board granted the Cedarville School of Pharmacy the maximum four-year re-accreditation for new schools.

Cedarville senior Sarah Shaw is an international student who experienced the normal transition-to-college challenges but also had to acclimate to a new culture. She was extremely homesick. But her two sisters, who were already studying at Cedarville, helped, as did Mu Kappa, an international student organization. From those initial hard beginnings, Shaw has bloomed into a campus leader, serving as president of the Student Government Association. She is now an influencer for Christ on fellow students from around the world, across the United States, and in the cornfields of Ohio.

Shaw is president of Cedarville’s Student Government Association, which leads the way in offering special campus experiences for students.

Cedarville International Student Services office works hard to help students become acclimated to campus life and American culture.

As a son of missionary parents and former U.S. diplomat to nations in the Pacific Rim, Japan, and South America, Dr. Frank Jenista has a global perspective. He infused Cedarville’s international studies program with this worldwide point of view, growing the program into a highly successful major with students serving all over the world, including in the U.S. Foreign Service. He also grew Cedarville’s Model United Nations team into a consistent Outstanding Delegation winner at the national competition in New York City. Lastly, he encouraged Cedarville schools and departments to think globally through study abroad and internship opportunities.

Cedarville’s Model United Nations team, which Dr. Jenista advised for many years, performs with excellence at regional and national competitions.

One of Dr. Jenista’s former students, Jerica (Ward) Lamar ’09, is serving as a diplomat in Kenya and was honored at this year’s Legacy Banquet on Homecoming and Parents Weekend as the 2019 Young Alumna of the Year.

When Dr. Frank Jenista arrived at Cedarville, he vowed to never move again for the rest of his life. Jenista, former professor of international studies, attended 13 schools in 12 years as the son of missionary parents in the Philippines. He finished his education at a large American high school in New Jersey. But at Cedarville, he found a loving and supportive community of friends and faculty and discovered a vision for his future as a U.S. diplomat which kept him on the move his whole career.

Dr. Jenista is the author of a book on Philippine-American history, White Apos: American Governors on the Cordillera Central, available for free on Cedarville’s Digital Commons.

Cedarville did not have an Asian Studies major when Dr. Jenista studied here. However, his professors crafted a curriculum that prepared Jenista in an exceptional way for a lifetime of public service in Japan, Indonesia, New Zealand, South America, and the Philippines.

Mechanical and biomedical engineering professor Jay Kinsinger is an interactive academic. From his days working in a tool and die shop to designing and manufacturing prosthetics to building wood-frame bicycles, Kinsinger engages head, heart, and hands in everything he does. He takes the same approach to teaching, bringing “Davids” into his everyday experiences so they can see his faith expressed in the laboratory of life. Jay Kinsinger is Mr. Hands-On.

Professor Kinsinger is an expert woodworker, applying his skill to crafting beautiful and functional wooden bicycle frames, which he sells through his online business, Sojourn Cyclery.

Kinsinger’s love for creating ridable art was featured on the Public Television series “American Woodworker.”

Engineering professor Jay Kinsinger engages heart, head, and hands in all he does.

Hall of Famer. National women’s champion in rifle shooting. Tennis coach. Professor. Physician assistant. Dr. Dee Morris joined Cedarville’s faculty in 1977, and she continues to impact students as a Professor of Allied Health. She still serves as a physician assistant in Springfield, Ohio. She served as the Lady Jackets tennis coach from 2007 until 2018 and is a member of three different athletic Halls of Fame. But for all she’s accomplished, retirement isn’t on the horizon. She has so much more to do.

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Dr. Morris is a member of the athletic Hall of Fame for her alma mater, Geneva College, for Cedarville University, and for the National Christian College Athletic Association.

Dr. Morris is a licensed physician assistant and was the first person to recommend that Cedarville offer a physician assistant program, which is scheduled to begin in 2022, pending external approvals.

Synopsis - Dee Morris is a professor and healthcare provider who keeps pushing on.

Glen Duerr is a man of many countries. He grew up in England, moved to Canada as a teenager, and earned his Ph.D. in the United States. He now lives in Beavercreek, Ohio, with his wife and three children. His life has prepared him well for his role as Associate Professor of International Studies at Cedarville University. Dr. Duerr is also a former semipro soccer player, Cedarville’s Model United Nations team coach, a sought-after media expert, a devoted husband and dad, but, most importantly, a man whose faith shapes the way that he sees the world.

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Dr. Duerr is an expert in international politics and has authored two books: “Secessionism and Terrorism: Blood, Bombs, and Independence in Europe and Eurasia” (London: Routledge, 2018); and “Secessionism and the European Union: The Future of Flanders, Scotland, and Catalonia” (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2015).

In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dr. Duerr is also the coach of Cedarville’s highly successful Model United Nations Team, which has distinguished itself at the national competition at UN Headquarters in New York City.

Proverbs 16:9 should be Dr. John Tarwater’s life verse. At every juncture of his life, Dr. Tarwater has put together a plan, but God had a greater purpose in mind. From leaving his professorship at a North Carolina seminary to a real estate startup in Tennessee that allowed him to live closer to his parents when his mom was ill, from continuing education credit as a certified public accountant turning into a Ph.D. in finance, to his son’s pursuit of a college experience where he could grow in Christ leading Dr. Tarwater from the missions field in Costa Rica to his current role as Assistant Professor of Finance at Cedarville. A heart inclined to the Lord will find its way; that’s what Dr. Tarwater has discovered.

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In addition to his Ph.D. in finance, Dr. Tarwater has a Ph.D. in theology and ethics and has written scholarly works on business, Scripture, marriage, and ethics.

Dr. Tarwater came to Cedarville from Rio Grande Bible Ministries and El Seminario Bíblico Rio Grande in McAllen, Texas, where he served as vice president and engaged firsthand in the immigration crisis.

Dr. Kris DeWitt, professor of psychology at Cedarville University, pays close attention to her heart. Her mom and dad put all their heart into raising Dr. DeWitt and her siblings, and set an example of sincere devotion to Jesus Christ. Later in life, Dr. DeWitt experienced a health emergency which has led her to be more attentive to her physical heart, but also to her spiritual heart. As an instructor, she is known as a caring, kind, and committed. But she quickly points out that the overflow this is simply a reflection of how she’s been loved by Christ. Dr. DeWitt’s heart overflows with gratitude, and it shows.

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Dr. DeWitt shared her personal testimony, based on Psalm 34, in Cedarville’s chapel last year.

An important aspect of a healthy spiritual heart is the ability to forgive. Dr. DeWitt is the author of a book on the subject, Finding Freedom in Forgiveness.

Two pivotal verses for Dr. DeWitt have been Isaiah 41:10 and 13, and Romans 15:13.

Finding Freedom in Forgiveness: Forgiveness is a lovely idea...until you have something to forgive. Forgiveness may be costly, but the payoff includes a wonderful sense of freedom.

Dick Walker served at Cedarville for 42 years, arriving at the University in 1970. His first job at Cedarville? Assistant food service manager. But he is best known for his 40 years in student life and campus activities, serving as a resident director, Dean of Men, Director of Campus Activities, and finally in the Office of Alumni Relations. He had a huge impact on the lives of hundreds of students. One of his most enduring contributions was the creation of Getting Started Weekend, which is a signature weekend of events on campus each year.

This fall, 287 singers and musicians auditioned for just 32 spots on perhaps the most well-known teams representing Cedarville University — HeartSong. The number of students auditioning indicates HeartSong’s impact. Four teams of eight students crisscross the country every year, harmonizing at camps, inspiring at churches, and bringing the Gospel to thousands. Ashlynn Robinette, HeartSong’s ministry and events coordinator and a HeartSong vocalist during her undergraduate days, and Andrew Hile, a musician and current HeartSong team leader, share with us how performing is a platform for Gospel influence up close.

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In addition to live performances, HeartSong produces an album of their favorite music every year.

HeartSong has a strong commitment to one summer destination in particular: Lake Ann Camp and Retreat Center in Lake Ann, Michigan.

Dr. Chuck Clevenger is a Renaissance Man. He taught concert piano and watercolor art at Cedarville for 33 years. He runs his own art business. He is a curriculum developer, having led the creation of Cedarville’s flagship general education course, Introduction to Humanities. He is an outstanding teacher, named Faculty of the Year in 2002. He is a devoted husband, dad, and grandfather. But you’ll find at the heart of this Renaissance Man is a Great Commission Man. He is a disciple maker who invests in his students so they might use their gifts to bring God glory. Dr. Chuck Clevenger is a man with eternal intentionality.

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Dr. Clevenger is an exceptional watercolorist, and sells his original artwork, as well as lithographic prints, through Clevenger Fine Art.

During the podcast, Dr. Clevenger talked about the cultural mandate found in Genesis 1:28. He added that, for Christians, there’s a cultural mandate for the mind in Philippians 4:8.

One of Dr. Clevenger’s most satisfying experiences as a professor was teaching Macy McClain, who has been blind since birth, how to play the piano.

Dr. Karen Wonders has a name that fits her life. Karen earned her Ph.D. in exercise physiology from the University of Northern Colorado, and currently serves as an exercise physiology professor at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. Her husband, Andrew, is an assistant professor of sport business management at Cedarville. They have seven children, affectionately known as The Seven Wonders. She is also the founder and executive director of Maple Tree Cancer Alliance, a non-profit offering physical rehabilitation for cancer patients, which can help increase treatment effectiveness. While she cares for the physical health of patients, her ultimate desire is pointing them to eternal life through Jesus Christ.

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Maple Tree Cancer Alliance, which Dr. Karen Wonders founded and leads, comes alongside cancer patients to help them with exercise plans that aid their recovery.

Dr. Wonders longed to make not just a difference in the health of her patients, but wanted to be able to point them to Christ, so she pursued a Master of Ministry degree from Cedarville.

Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Loren Reno retired as a three-star general from the United States Air Force. He was the first dean for Cedarville’s School of Business Administration. After this, he became Cedarville’s Vice President for Academics and now counsels Dr. Thomas White as the president’s special advisor. He has lived a life of leadership. But it’s not his decisive problem solving, insightful assessment, or clear-minded focus on the business at hand that first draws your attention. It’s his humility. And it’s a humility drawn from a deep sense of gratitude for what God has done for him in Christ.

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The leadership principles Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Loren Reno references in this podcast can be found in his book, “10 Leadership Maneuvers: A General's Guide for Serving and Leading” (Deep River Books, 2015).

Micah 6:8 us Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Loren Reno's life verse. When he interviewed to become Dean of Cedarville’s School of Business Administration, God confirmed to him this was His direction when he learned that same Scripture is the guiding truth for the school.

Beginning September 11, 2019, join us every Wednesday as we tell Cedarville stories for God's glory.