Today You Finished Last, So Dry Your Eyes and Stay Awhile

One of the figures at ACU that students do not see very often but who has a huge impact on our lives as students is Dr. Dwayne VanRheenen. Dr. VanRheenen serves as the ACU Provost and most ACU students only recognize Dr. VanRheenen for the work that he does as the "Master of Ceremonies" at events like Opening Chapel and Graduation, but his contribution to ACU has been a large one. He has emphasized that learning at a University should not be something that only occurs inside the walls of a classroom or laboratory, but in the Campus Center, at athletic events, and at devotionals. Some universities only look to educate the mind, but ACU is looking to develop the whole student.

A large part of the reason that I came to ACU was the certainty that the University expressed in the value of its mission and calling. I think that almost every student at the University could tell someone walking down the street that the mission of ACU is to "educate students for Christian service and leadership throughout the world." Many have heard this over and over again, but there is value in emphasizing each and every day who we are and what we are to be about in this world. If anything, there is an inherent value in remembering that each of us have been given different gifts and passions in this world, but the end result of those talents should be pointing towards one thing: the fame of God and his renown in our world.

That type of certainty in calling and mission presents us with an opportunity to make a difference in this world that God so loves. As students learn at ACU, inside and outside of the classroom, they are being prepared to go out to a world that needs a myriad of talents and interests in order to be the hands and feet of Christ. In a world filled with doubt and fear, people need to see that Christians are sure of their purpose and calling. This does not mean that we have to appear as though we have it all together, because we would not be fooling anyone if we tried to put on those types of airs, but to express to people that we know our lives should be about the glorification of God and we are attempting to bring that about in all that we do.