In this second part of their conversation, WBU President Dr. Stan Norman sits back down with Director of Athletics Mitch Mathis to trace how a winding coaching career became a clear sense of calling and ministry. Coach Mathis shares how God used closed doors, hard seasons, and unexpected moves—from small-town Arkansas to inner-city Houston and back—to shape his heart for students, coaches, and families. He reflects on the mentors and “God-appointments” that marked his journey, the role of prayer in navigating divorce, transition, and leadership, and how he now understands athletic administration as coaching the coaches and pastoring the people God has placed in his path. Whether you serve on the field, in the classroom, or in the marketplace, this episode invites you to see your own work as ministry and your career as a canvas for God’s faithful, guiding hand.

WBU President Dr. Stan Norman talks with Athletic Director Mitch Mathis about how a blue-collar childhood in Pine Bluff, a catcher’s grind on the baseball field, and a winding spiritual journey shaped his work ethic, leadership, and calling in athletics.

In this first part of a two-episode conversation, WBU President Dr. Stan Norman sits down with Williams Baptist University Director of Athletics, Mitch Mathis, to trace the early story behind his calling, character, and career. Growing up in Pine Bluff in a hardworking, blue-collar home, Mitch shares how watching his father log timber, serve as a command sergeant major in the National Guard, and “fix” struggling units—and seeing his mother care for people as a hospital social worker—formed his understanding of work, responsibility, and leadership. He reflects on early jobs from candy striper to construction laborer, the blisters that tested his grit, and the expectation that if you took a job, you owed your boss a full day’s work.

Mitch also unpacks his spiritual journey: coming to faith as a 10-year-old during Vacation Bible School, drifting in the demanding rhythm of college baseball at Arkansas State, and later returning to church as a young husband and father who wanted his kids rooted in the local body. Along the way, he tells the story of how a Little League coach helped him fall in love with catching, why he walked on at ASU without even knowing where Jonesboro was, and how one unforgettable Senior Day game against Memphis became the perfect ending to his playing career. Candid and down-to-earth, this episode lays the groundwork for Part 2, where Mitch and Dr. Norman will explore calling, coaching, and how God orchestrates a life of service through athletics.

What do you do when the calling you thought would define your life runs straight into the brick wall of real ministry hurt? In this episode of the LifeWork Podcast, we listen in as WBU president Dr. Stan Norman sits down with former worship guitarist and once–full-time pastor, now digital recruiting coordinator, Bill Jeffery. Bill opens up about chasing the dream of professional music, stepping into local church ministry with big expectations, and then hitting rough waters—disappointment, confusion, and the grief of watching a long–imagined future fall apart.

Through honest stories and hard-won insight, Bill and Dr. Norman wrestle with what calling really means when your plans die, doors close, and “ministry” no longer looks like a church office or a title. They explore how God meets us in vocational wreckage, how He retools our gifts for new settings, and why serving in Christian higher education can be just as spiritually weighty as standing behind a pulpit. If you’ve ever wondered, “Did I miss my calling?” or felt burned by ministry but still hungry to be used by God, this conversation will help you see your detours as part of His design, not the end of your story.

In this first part of a two-episode conversation, we turn the spotlight behind the scenes to hear the story of Bill Jeffery—the voice you usually don’t hear, but the one shaping many of the stories told through the LifeWork Podcast.

Bill reflects on growing up in a divided home, encountering faith for the first time as a teenager, and finding refuge in church, music, and meaningful relationships during seasons of uncertainty and hardship. From small-town Arkansas to late-night conversations that clarified his calling, this episode explores how God uses disruption, disappointment, and unexpected mentors to form a life of purpose.

This conversation isn’t about a polished testimony—it’s about formation. About how calling often takes shape long before clarity arrives.

Part two continues the story, tracing how these early years eventually led Bill to Williams Baptist University and the work he now does behind the camera.

In this second conversation with Laquietta Stewart, Dean of Students at Williams Baptist University, host Dr. Stan Norman explores how God used nearly three decades in public education, school counseling, and coaching to prepare her for her current role at Williams.

Laquietta reflects on discovering her calling as a high school counselor, walking with students through grief and big decisions, and learning to lead with both truth and grace. She shares how marriage to her husband Matt, renewed involvement in the local church, and years of mentoring students and fellow counselors eventually converged into a clear sense of God’s leading to “come home” to Williams as Dean of Students.

Together, Dr. Norman and Laquietta talk about redemptive discipline, forming student leaders, and their shared prayer for spiritual revival on campus—asking God to deepen prayer, purpose, and Christian community in the life and work of Williams.

In this episode of the LifeWork Podcast, host Dr. Stan Norman is joined by Laquietta Stewart, Dean of Students at Williams Baptist University, for a wide-ranging conversation about faith, leadership, and the long work of formation.

Laquietta shares her story growing up in small-town Arkansas, coming to faith through the influence of a local church community, and navigating college as a first-generation student and student-athlete at Williams. From learning how to study and persevere through challenges, to holding the school record for rebounds and discovering a calling to serve students, she reflects honestly on seasons of growth, struggle, and God’s patient work over time.

This episode explores how leadership is shaped not in a single moment, but through perseverance, relationships, and learning to stay the course—both in faith and in life’s work.

Dr. Robert Foster has a confession: he hates “The Little Drummer Boy.”

In this special Christmas episode of the LifeWork Podcast, Dr. Stan Norman continues his conversation with Dr. Foster by uncovering a long-running (and legendary) faculty controversy. But what starts as a humorous takedown of a beloved Christmas song quickly turns into something far more meaningful.

Dr. Foster explains why fictional additions like the Little Drummer Boy often overshadow the real people God chose to highlight in the Christmas story—figures like Mary, Simeon, and Anna, whose lives were marked by obedience, waiting, hope, and faithfulness over time. Together, they explore Luke 2, the power of God’s promises kept, and why Christmas is less about noise and spectacle and more about quiet trust, delayed gratification, and hope rooted in God’s faithfulness.

This episode is both lighthearted and deeply reflective—an invitation to rediscover the wonder of Christmas by returning to the biblical story and remembering that God delivers on His promises… without a drumbeat.

What if your calling didn’t begin with a single dramatic moment—but with a lifetime of faithful work, community influence, and God quietly weaving it all together?

In this episode of the LifeWork Podcast, Dr. Stan Norman sits down with Dr. Robert Foster to explore the formative experiences that shaped his life, faith, and vocation. From growing up in a hardworking Oklahoma family, to encountering Christ at Falls Creek, to sensing a call to ministry through the steady voices of a local church community, Dr. Foster reflects on how God uses work, relationships, and lived experience to guide us toward our purpose.

Along the way, he shares stories of early jobs, influential mentors, and the churches and teachers who helped him discern God’s direction—reminding us that God wastes no life experience. This conversation is especially meaningful for students wrestling with questions of calling, ministry, and what it means to live faithfully in their life’s work.

This is part one of a two-part conversation with Dr. Foster, setting the foundation for how calling is discovered, confirmed, and lived out over time.

In Part 2, we continue Heather Parson’s incredible journey—moving from her college decision at WBU to a series of unexpected pivots that shaped her vocation.

Heather recounts choosing Williams when it made no logical sense on paper, discovering a love for finance, leading a pregnancy resource center at age 22, navigating nonprofit leadership, earning her MBA in Finance, and walking through emotionally demanding ministry roles that deepened her dependence on the Lord.

She shares the surprising way God called her into education—something she once resisted—and how He eventually led her back to Williams, where she discovered her true vocational sweet spot: teaching, mentoring, and shaping future business leaders through Christ-centered instruction.

Heather also reflects on motherhood, stewardship, and the lifelong lesson she now gives to her younger self: Trust the Lord.

 If you haven’t heard Part 1 yet, go back and listen—this episode completes the story in a deeply meaningful way.

In Part 1 of this two-episode conversation, host Dr. Stan Norman sits down with Heather Parson—Assistant Professor of Business and Chair of the Department of Business at Williams Baptist University—to explore the remarkable story behind her calling.

Heather opens up about growing up in an agricultural community, her father’s near-death accident, years of financial hardship, and the ways God provided through the kindness of His people. She reflects on working from a young age, the pivotal educators who redirected her life, and the seeds of faith planted long before she fully understood God’s plan.

This episode traces the foundations of Heather’s spiritual journey—one marked by resilience, providence, and a God who was “never early but always on time.”
 A powerful beginning to a story that reveals how the Lord uses every chapter to shape a life of purpose.