Office of the President Longing for a life with God his past year I had the wonderful privilege of the great questions of life that guide every honest taking a short-term sabbatical (Dec. 5, 2005- seeker. What is the meaning of life? How can a TJan. 30, 2006). During that time, I returned loving God allow suffering? Why would a good God to a project I have been thinking about for 25 permit so much evil? Is there proof for the existence years: How do we understand our life with God? of God? How can we begin to address and answer My own spiritual awakening occurred when I was this question? And if Jesus is the only way to God, an undergraduate student studying with Richard how do we understand the reality and persistence Foster during the same period in which he was of all these other religions? writing Celebration of Discipline. I had been in SPRING ARBOR Eventually, I would graduate from seminary, pastor Christian circles all my life, yet I had never read UNIVERSITY a church, return for my doctorate, and begin nor experienced such a thorough ordering of how CONCEPT we could understand and make progress in our life my current life in higher education. Still, these with God. As you can imagine, it was a thrilling time foundational questions, the ones that confront Spring Arbor University and the discoveries made during college continue each one of us, continue to rivet my attention. This is a community of to guide me to this day. past year I had the opportunity to speak to these learners distinguished by questions and to talk about our life with God in a our lifelong involvement Following college, I attended Princeton variety of contexts. The graphic shown here in the study and Theological Seminary where I came f Spirit outlines and identifies the various steps application ng o ual eri d Jou rd r Go rn of the liberal arts, under the remarkable life and teaching t O fo ey we take and the processes in which h ve ig o R L ure total commitment ur cript of Diogenes Allen, professor of S R we engage as we grow in our O e o c o f to Jesus Christ as philosophy of religion. At the time, G v knowledge and understanding R o e Joy e r n Pe a d y o ve a the perspective for i o ce s L o he was integrating philosophy, n t L o o of our lives with Christ. f e a n s l l P K e e a t p r o n learning, and critical r i w t n u t i o theology and church history in t m t e l n n t w e e o t u c h B c l e e participation in the n C - e As you continue on your own f the most remarkable synthesis n o l d F o e g C a i S t l e l contemporary world. d a s spiritual journey, it is my l OUR LIFE WITH GOD n I had ever seen. Here was an l s i G a e c e s n n n s hope that it will always focus d o O order and pattern that unveiled i e t n t n l c e i o c i K n n t A i on the living reality of Jesus e e the depths of our life with God i C s d r s r a e e s r s T p Christ. Everything begins when while providing the most robust a e x n I t F n n i a d E o o it o r i t n hfu Go t im lness u a we settle this fundamental evidence of the intellectual O e a f r c o C y g d w n n question. Then, as we live our credibility of Christianity. i ri a th ence e d J Experi rd o es t O f G lives in relationship to God, all us igh o Ch R Together, these two men have played ris of the other challenges we face are t an indispensable role in my own spiritual Divine Ascent placed in a perspective that provides journey. Everything I now understand to be hope and understanding. true was initially stimulated by their personal and intellectual influence. Because they have drawn May God bless you as you follow Him. so deeply from the great saints of the church their writings are especially helpful in guiding us to With joy and anticipation, discover and participate in our own life with God. During college, my early forays into this literature provided the framework to understand my life with God at a new and profound level. It ushered in a Gayle D. Beebe, Ph.D. period of peace and contentment that convinced President me of the meaning of the Christian life. But still, I was haunted by the question, is it true? Is this life with God a charade or is it the very ground and substance of the universe? To my joy and amazement, my quest to find the intellectual credibility of Christianity was fulfilled. My desire to know that our life with God is not only meaningful, but also true was satisfied as I continued to read in this literature and especially as I saw my own confidence in the Christian life strengthened. While in seminary, I realized it was the very essence of the Christian life to ask and pursue answers to Contents Volume 30 Number 1 Fall 2006 PUBLISHER 4 Tim Johnston [email protected] Living inspired lives An education at Spring Arbor University has been a launching pad for these EDITOR four amazing leaders — alumni and students, alike — who are living Ann Tschirhart inspired lives. [email protected] DesiGN Mark Cole ’90 Joel Maust ’02 13 WriTers He’s a survivor Lynne Markiewicz Chaplain Ron Kopicko '77 was diagnosed with cancer in January. Joel Maust ’02 In May he received the news he was healed. Follow his journey Sherry Owens ’02 from diagnosis, treatment and victory — in his own words Julie Spencer ’04 — shared with the world through his blog. Ann Tschirhart PHOTOGRAphY Mark Cole ’90 14 Joel Maust ’02 Cougar athletics VICE presiDENT FOR Cougar teams post a season of wins, but they're not the only ones UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT winning. Read about two alums who have made a name for themselves, Jay Mansur their teams, their towns and their sports. AssisTANT VICE presiDENT FOR UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT Rhonda (Davis ’94) Saurbek Departments 11 14 20 22 Arbor Today Cougar Zone Alumni Today Alumni News ON THE COVER The cover image captures the very essence of education graduate Nikki Keen '03. Read more about Keen and her inner-city work in this issue's feature story, “Living inspired lives,” on page 4. Spring Arbor University • www.arbor.edu g inspired Livin lives Providing a transformational educational experience sounds like a big job. But it’s a necessary job. And it’s one Spring Arbor University is well-prepared to deliver. Our students and graduates are proof. These young leaders are making a difference in a variety of fields — from art to worship and everything in between. Read on to learn how Caleb Porter, Nikki Keen, Andra Morrell and Robb Selfe are leading inspired lives that inspire others. orter enters a booming industry with momentum “I graduated met with the art professors, I felt blown away on Saturday and by how professional and serious the art started work the following program was here. I felt like it was going to Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. It be a great place for me to get the training was nice to not miss a beat,” says necessary to secure a good job,” says Caleb Porter ’06. In mid-May, he Porter. began putting his freshly printed bachelor’s degree to use at Momentum, LLC, an Porter strives to create art that will allow him to Porganizational development firm. compete in a booming field: graphic design. And he reflects on the lessons learned The experiences Porter gained through his — whether in the studio or not — from the study at the University proved to be valuable faculty at SAU. “The art professors have commodities, too. After just two short months influenced my life in several ways, either at Momentum, he was offered a position at through encouraging words about my work Daniel Brown & Associates, an advertising ethic, or feedback on my designs — both firm in Rochester, Mich., where he is currently good and bad. All of it has helped me,” says working as a graphic designer. Porter. Porter transferred to Spring Arbor University “The art classes at SAU really trained me from Huntington College two years ago to as a graphic designer to operate at a very continue the pursuit of his art degree with a professional level and create great work. focus on graphic design. “After two years at Through the art faculty, I also learned that Huntington, I felt like it wasn’t the right place if you want to see the results, you have to for me. I began looking around at universities be willing to invest the time and effort,” says closer to home,” says Porter. Porter. After hearing about SAU from friends, Porter “Caleb developed the skills to show ordinary set up a campus visit.