Celebrating $205.8 Million and Future Cedarville Sphere

The future of Cedarville University seems to rise right out of the waters of Cedar Lake on the latest Cedarville Stories podcast.

The conversation opens with the kind of news that gives Cedarville plenty to celebrate. Dr. Will Smallwood, Cedarville’s Vice President for Advancement, reflects on the strong finish of the 1000 Days Transformed Campaign, which raised a record-setting $205.8 million. He describes a campus humming with momentum — scholarships are transforming students’ lives, new facilities reshaping daily routines, and generous gifts strengthening Cedarville’s mission for years to come.

That momentum is already showing up across campus. Students are learning in new and upgraded spaces, living in expanded housing, and stepping into opportunities that would have seemed out of reach only a few years ago. Smallwood points to the growing number of students serving with Global Outreach teams, discipleship thriving in residence halls and chapel, and a University determined to remain faithful to its mission. Cedarville, he explains, is not simply enjoying the success of a completed campaign. It is stewarding those gifts carefully and putting them to work right now.

That makes the next part of the conversation sound even more believable.

As attention turns to rumors about Cedarville’s future, one idea begins to loom larger than the rest: the Cedarville Sphere. Not a simple bridge over the lake. Not merely another campus building. A sphere. A striking, immersive, 100,000-square-foot venue rising in the middle of Cedar Lake, wrapped in a 360-degree LED display and designed to reimagine chapel, classes, concerts, and even athletic events. With talk of renderings, architectural conversations, innovation, and a projected $400 million price tag, the vision sounds ambitious but not impossible for a University riding a wave of growth and generosity.

In fact, it sounds like classic Cedarville — daring, distinctive, and centered on student transformation. The vision feels bold, but not outlandish for a University fresh off a historic campaign and full of forward-looking energy. For most of the episode, the Cedarville Sphere stands there in the imagination like the next big step, a landmark-sized symbol of a campus already expanding in remarkable ways.

But beware of the loftiness of the idea. In fact, you’ll want to stay tuned to the entire program to dissect fact from fiction on this special April podcast.

Clearly, the playful ending of the Cedarville Sphere does not take away from the larger story. It sharpens it. Cedarville may not be building a glowing globe on Cedar Lake, but it is clearly building something lasting in the lives of its students.

https://share.transistor.fm/s/77f2c625

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5JI5Gi4NlY

Helping Foster Teens Find Their Place

Fifteen years ago, Eric ’03 and Kara (Howe) ’04 Gilmore began noticing a pattern that would not let them rest. Teenagers in Arkansas entered foster care or aged out with little consistent support. In fact, many reached legal adulthood without housing, reliable work, or someone to call family.

Their Cedarville University years had planted a conviction in them to care for the vulnerable and pursue those who are forgotten. That conviction took on a new urgency as Eric and Kara opened their home to teens as foster parents and watched how quickly hope could fray without steady relationships. Those up-close experiences led them to launch Immerse Arkansas in Little Rock.

Immerse Arkansas opened as a small, hospitable space and grew into a community that mixes practical help with consistent presence. A teen’s first visit often looks practical and tender: a hot meal, a warm shower, clothes, if needed, an offer of prayer, and someone who will listen. These small acts of kindness create room for trust.

A weekly Tuesday gathering anchors that trust. Around a shared meal, mentors, volunteers, and participants trade stories, celebrate milestones, and sometimes sit in silence. The rhythm of the gathering — familiar faces, ordinary conversation, and steady hospitality — provides many young people with the only place where they feel seen.

Staff and volunteers continue to walk alongside young people in a hands-on way — listening, encouraging, and celebrating small wins while helping with interviews, applications, and connections to housing or transportation. Some teens stop by once; others stay for months and even join an alumni circle that still calls Immerse home. On average, participants engage for about a year, a season the team uses to open doors and plan next steps.

The Gilmores measure success in human terms: a steady paycheck, a key to an apartment, or a returned smile. They also carry a clear aim — if a teen must enter foster care, Arkansas should be the best place in the nation to be there. Churches, state partners, and local organizations have embraced that vision and are working with Immerse to strengthen the safety net.

Eric and Kara recently shared the story of Immerse on the Cedarville Stories podcast, reflecting on how their campus seasons shaped their calling and how, 15 years on, Immerse keeps offering practical support, steady relationships, and a place many young people can call home.

https://share.transistor.fm/s/1f11b28a

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq75Ira96d0

Walking With Lyme, Walking With God

Sam Sofio carried a simple dream of attending Christian university where faith wasn’t an accessory but the air everyone breathed. He pictured chapel worship and professors who prayed before class. He also sensed a calling to tell stories that point people to God.

Then his health took a hard turn, and money worries crept in.

He woke up bone-tired no matter how long he slept. Headaches throbbed behind his eyes, his joints ached, and his mind stayed foggy. Ordinary days started to feel like hills with no summit, and his dream began to look expensive and impossible.

Sam refused to pretend it didn’t hurt. He carried his questions to the Lord, sometimes through clenched teeth, and he learned a quiet truth: God never stepped back. In long nights and slow mornings, Sam found the Father near — steady, faithful, and kind.

He spent many hours searching for answers. He clicked through articles and forums. He tried to name what was stealing his strength and hope to attend a Christian university. When Lyme disease finally entered the conversation, it brought relief and new complexity at the same time. Treatments took patience, and setbacks took humility. Chronic illness demanded daily courage. Still, God met Sam in his struggles and comforted him so he could comfort others.

Little by little, God kept Sam’s dream alive. Doors opened, and provision came when it mattered most. Strength arrived in measured portions — enough for the next step. As the fog lifted just enough to see forward, one path came into focus: the Christian campus he had prayed for.

That path led him to Cedarville University. The suffering didn’t end, yet God kept Sam steady through it. Cedarville became the place where Sam could keep healing, learning, and walking with the Lord.

Now, Sam studies professional writing and information design as a junior. He hopes, Lord willing, to serve a Christian nonprofit like Samaritan’s Purse after graduating in 2027. He wants to tell on-the-ground stories that help prayer partners and donors see what God is doing.

Sam doesn’t waste his scars. He advocates for others battling Lyme disease and other chronic illnesses, speaking up so they don’t feel invisible, and he’s shared his journey in places he never imagined. From a Health and Human Services panel to a conversation with HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr., Sam carries one steady message wherever God sends him: The Lord meets people in suffering, and He stays.

https://share.transistor.fm/s/8aeede8b

https://youtu.be/6y9qK0R8LbY

A Story Bigger Than Football

Redemption opens like a familiar football story — with helmets, stadium lights, and the pressure to win — but quickly clarifies its real focus: Jesus changing lives inside The Ohio State Buckeyes’ program.

Available through The Wonder Project on Amazon Prime, this docuseries follows an ongoing spiritual revival that can’t be measured on a scoreboard. Behind it are two unlikely executive producers: Marlee and Matt Benson, a husband-and-wife duo who stepped into filmmaking because they believed the message mattered.

When Marlee shared how Redemption became a reality on the Cedarville Stories podcast, she made one thing clear: She and Matt didn’t start as film professionals. Marlee is a 2021 Cedarville University graduate with a degree in communication, and she and Matt are simply people who love sports and Jesus. They were surprised to find themselves telling a story so much bigger than their own experiences.

The docuseries idea was sparked at church. Marlee and Matt listened as former Buckeye tight end Gee Scott Jr. shared his testimony, and the idea arrived with clarity. They needed to share what God has been doing in and through these players.

Marlee and Matt didn’t have a roadmap, so they prayed. They prayed when they felt unqualified, when the logistics looked impossible, and when the responsibility of representing real people and real faith felt heavy.

Then, the prayers started turning into tangible steps. A production company came alongside them. Funding followed in the form of hundreds of thousands of dollars that seemed out of reach for two newcomers. And as the project grew, it gained the backing of former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow, lending his credibility and support to a story centered on Christ rather than fame.

Even with resources, the hardest work stayed relational. Marlee and Matt had to tell the stories of multiple players who stood for Christ without flattening them into slogans. They had to earn trust deep enough for players to share truthfully, not carefully. They chose transparency because the message mattered more than the optics: Jesus transforms lives, and that transformation gives hope in the middle of pressure, performance, and public scrutiny.

As the story took shape, Marlee kept noticing how the players talked about prayer: not as a lever to pull for wins but as a way to stay close to God when life doesn’t go the way they want. Gee Scott Jr. puts words to it near the end of the series: People sometimes treat prayer like a path to a national championship, but God doesn’t promise that. What He promises, as Romans 8:28 says, is to work all things together for good for those who love Him, even when the “all things” include delays, doubts, and hard conversations.

By the time Redemption was finished, Marlee realized the story had been working on her, too, reshaping how she saw faith in the middle of pressure and performance. Watching players talk about Christ’s joy shook her out of spiritual routine. Their excitement renewed her own faith and reminded her that God still changes people in the present tense.

That’s the quiet thread running through the whole project. Two fans stepped forward with open hands, not because they were experts, but because they were willing storytellers for God’s glory. They pursued excellence, faced obstacles honestly, and kept praying through every unknown, driven by the belief that if even one person met Jesus through this story, it would be worth it. And in the end, Marlee and Matt watched God create hope on the screen through testimonies that kept echoing long after the credits rolled.

https://share.transistor.fm/s/f5a8343b

https://youtu.be/tqF2jbZdyAc

Stocking Classrooms, Building Futures

A first-year teacher stands in an empty classroom with a key in her hand and a knot in her stomach. Twenty-six desks. Bare walls. One loud thought: School starts soon, and the room has almost nothing.

Dr. Megan Brown, an associate professor of education at Cedarville University, knows that moment well. Coursework can cover research and best practices. Training can shape strong habits. Still, the first year in a real classroom brings a different kind of weight — especially when the space begins as a blank slate.

Megan teaches literacy courses to future educators, and she talks plainly about what teaching requires. Learning is hands-on. Students need materials in their fingers so ideas can stick in their minds. Yet school budgets only stretch so far. Families can only do so much. Teachers often fill the gaps with their own money: pencils, tissues, notebooks, cleaning supplies, even backpacks. For a new teacher, those costs add up quickly.

That’s where Malena Ball comes in. A 2022 Cedarville graduate with a degree in strategic communication, Malena now serves as marketing director for Crayons to Classrooms. In that role, she helps connect educators to practical, personal support. The Dayton-area nonprofit provides free classroom supplies for teachers in 144 schools, reaching more than 50,000 students through the teachers it serves.

Malena has watched teachers push carts down the aisles and still expect a bill. “How much do I owe?” they ask, looking at the price tags left on some items to show their value. Volunteers smile back. “Nothing.” Relief softens shoulders, and gratitude shows up as tears. Being seen does that.

Crayons to Classrooms stocks the consumables that disappear by October — glue sticks, erasers, paper, pencils. But Malena calls it more than a resource center. It’s a care center. Teachers find air filters, hygiene products, Band-Aids, sanitizer, and tissues. Those supplies don’t just serve learning. They support dignity, comfort, and confidence.

Megan watched one new teacher arrive after visiting her classroom for the first time. Empty room. End of July. No paycheck yet. She left with two full carts squeezed into a small car and a face filled with relief. Now there was something to build with.

That “something” reaches far past academics. A spare notebook helps a student keep up. A backpack handed quietly to a child in foster care says, “This is yours.” A pencil offered without a lecture says, “You matter here.”

Megan and Malena shared these stories on the Cedarville Stories podcast. Their message? Equip teachers with training, care, and supplies. When teachers feel supported, students feel it too. And that feeling can shape those students’ futures.

https://share.transistor.fm/s/7fa1e2bd

https://youtu.be/_4X2P8hjSuk

Secret Service and the Zero-Fail Mission

The U.S. Secret Service lives by a simple standard: zero fail. Every route, every rooftop, and every split-second decision demands excellence because the mission leaves no room for mistakes.

Jeff Rinehart has built his career around that expectation. The 1993 Cedarville University graduate has spent nearly three decades with the Secret Service, rising into senior leadership and carrying the weight of protecting the nation and serving its government with quiet professionalism.

To most people, the Secret Service looks like dark suits, earpieces, and sunglasses. Rinehart understands the mystique, but he points to something deeper. The heart of the work, he says, is service — service to the United States, to its government, and to the people who rely on it.

That sense of purpose demands steady discipline. In a job where one mistake can change history, Rinehart has pursued excellence the way a craftsman pursues a clean finish: by doing the small things right every day. He has protected dignitaries and worked alongside world leaders, but he also recognizes that the agency’s mission stretches far beyond what the cameras capture.

The Secret Service investigates cybercrime and financial fraud, and Rinehart speaks about those cases with real conviction. When agents stop someone from draining a senior citizen’s life savings, the work matters. When they track down cyber predators who exploit children online, the reward runs even deeper. He does not glamorize the job. He honors it, and he honors the people it helps.

Over the years, Rinehart has stepped up to a wide range of assignments. He served on the presidential detail for President George W. Bush, handled sensitive work as a foreign attaché officer, and built cases as a criminal investigator. Each role demanded the same steady excellence day after day, whether anyone is watching or not.

In his current role, Rinehart has helped keep President Donald Trump safe during multiple visits overseas, including trips to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Those miles add another layer to the mission: unfamiliar terrain, shifting schedules, and constant coordination with host nations. Still, the expectation never changes. The detail must run clean, the planning must hold, and the team must be ready for anything.

Rinehart recently shared his story as a guest on the Cedarville Stories podcast. In his trademark steady way, he made it clear that the Secret Service is more than an image. It is a calling to serve something bigger than oneself and a daily commitment to excellence in a mission where “zero fail” is not a tagline but a promise.

https://share.transistor.fm/s/93bc077d

https://youtu.be/YtBjp1nYnOM

Big League Hopes

Payton Eeles and Tanner Gillis are living their baseball dreams. Both former Yellow Jacket baseball players are moving closer to the major leagues and learning that the climb is rarely clean and never entirely predictable.

Baseball is a sport of failure that teaches a person to live between what’s hoped for and what’s in hand. There’s always another series, another chance, and another day to get better. Payton has carried his dream since childhood, the sort of long-held desire that feels as natural as a glove on his left hand. Tanner’s path has required the same steady grit — the willingness to keep showing up, keep competing, and keep believing that today’s work matters even when tomorrow’s roster is unknown.

What sets their story apart isn’t just the pursuit but the posture. The game can tempt players to measure life in innings pitched, box scores, and call-ups. Yet Payton and Tanner’s grounding runs deeper. They’ve learned to trust God’s timing the way a good ballplayer trusts the process: staying disciplined, resisting panic, and letting the season unfold one pitch at a time. Some prayers get answered quickly; others develop like a slow-breaking curve — still true, still on the way, still under control.

That big-picture perspective came through recently on the Cedarville Stories podcast, where both players reflected on baseball, faith, and the steadying confidence that comes from believing there’s a plan even when the details aren’t visible yet. They shared that when Cedarville friends show up in the stands, it turns the whole thing into something warmer than a career climb. It becomes a reminder that the journey is meant to be carried with others and that gratitude can keep ambition from getting too loud.

For Eeles and Gillis, the aim is still the big leagues, but the deeper goal is staying steady — playing hard, staying humble, and trusting the Author of the story to call the right pitch at the right time.

https://share.transistor.fm/s/691f2d02

https://youtu.be/wTqebZT93_k

Dr. Jared Pincin: Fantasy Sports and Real Convictions

Some of the most lasting lessons in life don’t come from classrooms or textbooks but from watching the people closest to you do hard things without complaint. For Dr. Jared Pincin, those lessons were learned early by watching his college-educated father take whatever work was necessary to provide for his family, even when that meant working as a janitor at McDonald’s during a tough recession.

Pincin, associate professor of economics at Cedarville University since 2023, isn’t just an expert in market theory. He’s a man shaped by humble beginnings, hard-earned wisdom, and a heart for guiding young people well.

Born and raised in Whitehall, Pennsylvania, Jared grew up watching his parents navigate life’s ups and downs with grit and grace. His dad took that janitorial job during an economic downturn. He never showed bitterness or complained; he simply did what was needed to care for his family. That quiet determination left a lasting mark. Jared’s own first job, stocking shelves for Nabisco, became a lesson in humility and trusting God’s timing.

His journey into economics began in middle school, sparked by a visiting stockbroker on career day. That interest grew through high school internships and eventually led him to earn a PhD. Though he didn’t initially plan on teaching, the doors to academia opened, and he found joy in the classroom, especially in connecting with students and helping them think deeply about real-world choices.

On a recent episode of the Cedarville Stories podcast, Jared shared more than just economic insight. He spoke candidly about his past involvement in fantasy sports and how it gradually led him to question the role of sports betting in his life. What started as a harmless March Madness bracket in high school ended with a suspension and a turning point. Over time, he began to see gambling not just as a financial risk but as a spiritual one.

Today, alongside Cedarville colleague Colonel (Ret.) Greg Thompson, he speaks to students about the hidden dangers of sports betting, particularly how easy access and secrecy can foster habits with long-term consequences. It’s not about legalism, he says, but stewardship and wisdom.

Jared’s story is one of thoughtful faith, honest work, and a calling to prepare the next generation not just for the workforce but for life.

https://share.transistor.fm/s/f745bac4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-v5CZjqM4I

From Czech Courts to a Global Calling

Ondrej Plasil grew up in the Czech Republic with a basketball in his hands and a competitive spirit in his heart. The game gave him direction, discipline, and drive. But underneath it all, he was quietly searching for something more.

In a country where faith is often absent or minimized, Ondrej didn’t grow up in a strong Christian environment. He knew about God, but the idea of following Jesus personally felt distant. That began to change when he encountered believers who lived differently — people whose lives radiated joy, purpose, and hope that couldn’t be explained by talent or success alone.

Through a series of providential moments, Ondrej and his family came to know Christ as Savior, Lord, and Friend. That decision changed everything. His identity was no longer rooted in performance or approval but in grace. His view of life, success, and even basketball was transformed.

That journey brought him to Cedarville University, where he’s now a sophomore studying business management. Here, he stepped into a community that nurtures his young faith and challenges him to grow deeper. Surrounded by fellow students who love Jesus and live with boldness, Ondrej found accountability, inspiration, and a renewed sense of calling.

What was once a quiet faith became a passionate pursuit. He began to see his gifts and his story as part of something bigger than himself.

Ondrej’s dream is bold: to see revival in the Czech Republic. Whether through launching a Christ-centered academy, planting seeds of faith through education, or simply walking faithfully with the people of his country, he longs to be used by God.

He shared his story on the Cedarville Stories podcast, offering a glimpse of his hope-filled vision: to be a faithful voice in his homeland, pointing people to the truth of Jesus.

Wherever God sends him, Ondrej is ready. He’s living proof that when Jesus captures a heart, everything changes.

https://share.transistor.fm/s/da12250e

https://youtu.be/rqrunn4aGhA

Desert Roots and Gospel Goals

Matthew and Daniel Leo grew up in the Middle East, where sunbaked streets doubled as soccer fields and neighbors quickly became family. Their childhood was filled with the rhythms of daily life, including shared meals, local traditions, and long afternoons chasing a ball through the dust. With parents devoted to humanitarian work, the brothers were immersed in a life of service and shaped by a deep love for people, culture, and faith that would stay with them wherever they went.

Now students at Cedarville University, the brothers lace up their cleats as members of the University’s soccer team. But if you ask them, they’ll tell you their identity goes far deeper than their roles on the field or in the classroom. As they shared recently on the Cedarville Stories podcast, they see themselves first and foremost as children of God — young men whose purpose isn’t just to win games but to live lives that reflect Christ.

Matthew shared how his identity as a follower of Jesus isn’t something he sets aside when he steps onto the field. When he's playing in front of a crowd or pushing through a tough match, his faith remains central to who he is. The way he competes, responds to pressure, and carries himself flows from that deeper commitment. For him, soccer isn’t separate from his spiritual life; it’s another place where his walk with Christ is lived out.

Daniel followed with a heartfelt message for those who may not yet know Christ. He encouraged listeners to explore the Bible with an open heart, describing it as a powerful collection of stories about real people — flawed, broken, and often struggling — who encountered God’s grace. Through those stories, he explained, there’s a clear picture of hope, redemption, and purpose. Both brothers emphasized that a life shaped by faith is not about perfection but about daily trust and living in a way that reflects something greater than themselves.

Their future plans? The Leo brothers hope to return to the Middle East after graduation to continue the work their parents started. They want to invest in people, love their neighbors, and serve in a region they still call home.

In a world often driven by status or stats, Matthew and Daniel’s story is refreshingly simple and deeply inspiring: two brothers chasing a ball, loving deeply, and running toward a calling far greater than themselves.

https://share.transistor.fm/s/aa08bb61

https://youtu.be/m9WnRUATlJE