Browsing Tag

Westmont

Family,

Hair Tonic

It’s been ages since I wrote a family story. Recently I was editing my upcoming book Salvaged and a line about my shiny bald head reminded me of the time a package of hair growth tonic arrived in the mail.

It was my Senior year at Westmont College. Midyear my Dad came to visit for a weekend. We did all the stuff Westmont students do with their parents: sightseeing in Santa Barbara, going out for dinner, and conversations about the family. Then Dad headed home and my studies resumed.

About three weeks later a package arrived at the Westmont …

Westmont,

Westmont Alumnus of the Year

There’s an old adage that says you need a Paul, a Barnabas, and a Timothy in your life. The Paul in your life is somebody who teaches you. He or she pushes you to be a better person. The Barnabas in your life is somebody who encourages you. He or she loves on you. The Timothy in your life is somebody who you teach or encourage. You give back by being their Paul or Barnabas.

Rarely do I meet somebody who is all three. But there is one such person in my life. His name is Stan Gaede.

Whenever I …

Book Reviews, Westmont,

Longing for God, by Gayle Beebe and Richard Foster

There are few things more intimidating to a 20-year old college student than a judgmental professor. But there I was in the summer of 1979, facing three of them. They were (and still are) all brilliant, all renowned experts, and all challenging the inventory of facts that I had quickly memorized the night before.

It was a warm afternoon in Santa Barbara. I had signed up for the Westmont summer program in Europe and was living on campus for a few weeks in preparation for the trip. Having already fulfilled the classes offered by the Europe program, I was taking …

Random Thoughts, Westmont,

The Willis Family

When D’Aun and I were seniors at Westmont College we signed up for a 2-week program called Sierra Treks.  This program had us in the Sierra Mountains learning to cross-country ski, rappel off mountains, navigate by compass, and other fun things.  Sounded like a simple and fun way to earn a couple of credits.

It turned out to be a life changing experience.  The outdoor activities were great fun, although I remember one sub-zero night when I wondered what I was doing in a sleeping bag in the Sierras in January!   But the outdoor times were only a part of …

Random Thoughts, Westmont,

A liberal arts life

I recently gave a personal testimony to the Westmont College Board of Trustees.  The challenge was to answer the question, “How did you become who you are?”  An interesting challenge for anybody!  But considering the intellectual power of my audience, and considering their wide range of interests, it was not an easy thing to summarize in 10-minutes.  In fact, it was much harder to prepare for this brief presentation than I ever imagined!

In the end, I described myself as having led a liberal arts life.  Here are my expanded notes.  Not the best writing, but as I said, they …

Westmont,

Westmont Urban Program

Spoke at the Westmont Urban Program in San Francisco yesterday.  It’s the second time that I’ve been asked to speak to the students toward the end of the semester.  The topic is faith, calling and vocation.  An interesting subject for a guy who’s put in about half my time in the for-profit world, and about half in the non-profit world.  So I talk about that and share how we’re called to live in the tension of the two.  We must be comfortable in both the world of the poor and the world of the rich, then find a way to …