Are you a high school student worried about what to do next? Take heart. In this podcast episode Paul Brown explains steps the Lord used to guide him to an answer to that dilemma, an answer that surprised him, one that would take him from a business major in a community college to a physical education major in a small Christian college and then to his current position as Maranatha’s athletics director and women’s basketball coach.

After high school, Paul’s goal was to become an accountant, work a few months during tax season, and then enjoy leisure sports. Now his mission is to use the tools of athletics to help others conform to Christ’s image. He and host Dr. Davis discuss how his program of accountability, communication, and relationships helps set Maranatha apart. For instance, Dr. Davis cites a tragic situation in which a visiting team … Oh, it’s truly a heartwarming story—so please listen!

Sometimes personal needs direct career choices, as MBU Assistant Professor Aria Saunders explains in this podcast episode. Aria pursued a master’s degree in science and biomedical engineering with an emphasis in assistive technologies and served as research coordinator in a lab specializing in developing medical equipment for people with disabilities. She focused her research primarily on type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease which she personally controls with technology. “I think,” she comments, “some of the best scientific discoveries are from people who have personal vested interests in finding better solutions.”

Aria and host Dr. Davis compare their experiences on secular campuses, expressing surprise at tolerance of unbelieving classmates and of their curiosity toward Bible-believers. They also discuss isolation resulting from faith that contradicts campus philosophy and lifestyle.

"Let your light so shine before men, “Aria recites as her life’s mission, “that others may see your good works and glorify your Father which is heaven”—an apropos goal for someone seeking to help others with medical assistance and now, as an instructor, equipping students to do the same.

Ministry often includes the unexpected, as Pastor Dan Pelletier recounts in this episode of On Mission podcast. Having served from the East Coast of the United States to a tiny island in Micronesia, Dan’s heart is entrenched in youth and Christian camp ministries. However, when a conference center he directed closed, the Lord provided lodging in the steeple of Hamilton Square Baptist Church in the heart of San Francisco. Then, through a series of events, the steeple became home, and Dan became the pastor. “It was never my plan,” he adamantly states in recounting how God’s plan unfolded. When asked his mission, he initially focused on youth ministry and readily responded, “Touching the future.” Now the scheme is broader. It is “touching the future” through the church, made up of affluent members as well as the homeless encamped around them, and of multi-ethnic people of all ages in the Bay area. “Touching the future,” as host Dr. Matt Davis summarizes, “with truth from the past.”

Dr. Matt Davis welcomes Jon Bladine, Director of Longview Camp in Arcade, New York, as his guest on this episode of On Mission. Jon discusses how the Lord guided him to camp ministry, the skills that have been beneficial, and those he had to acquire, as well as the challenge of revitalizing a struggling ministry. Out of college, Jon had plans to be a missionary pilot; his journey may resonate with those who have undergone training for a specific purpose only to be guided in a different direction by God. Dr. Davis and Jon swap memories of Northland in Dunbar, WI, where Jon grew up, and of various camp ministries Jon has been a part of. You will be encouraged by Jon’s passion and testimony of God’s hand in their lives through the camp ministry, and admonished to never second guess what God has done in a place where little fruit is visible. Ministry’s value is eternal because it is about people.

Join Dr. Matt Davis as he talks with retired chaplain Lt. Col. Scott Nupson on this episode of On Mission. Mr. Nupson represents the Associated Gospel Churches Chaplaincy, a tool of the local church to endorse and send chaplains into limited access institutions (all branches of the military, Civil Air Patrol, Veterans Affairs, police, fire, federal prisons) in order to share the good news of Jesus Christ. Besides his career as a chaplain, he has been a pastor, husband of 35 years, and father of four, all whom serve faithfully in their local churches all over the world. Dr. Davis and Mr. Nupson provide context on chaplains in the American military, discussing their history and the spiritual needs of military personnel. They also address the legitimacy of the chaplain’s role and Mr. Nupson’s deployment experience and lessons learned. You will be encouraged by his faithful testimony of God’s grace, and learn how to encourage and support the work of chaplains in our military.

In this episode of On Mission, Dr. Matt Davis gets to know 2010 graduate and MBU's new assistant athletic director and soccer coach, Jarid Lawson. In the fourteen years since graduating college, the Lord has kept the Lawson family on the move: from student teaching and meeting his wife in Missouri, to teaching, coaching and starting a family in Arizona, to Montana to be near family for a time, to his current role at MBU. In each place, God had remarkable coaches to mentor him: Gary Garrison as a youth, Jeff Pill in college, Paul Brown and Lynn Hesuinger in Arizona. Coach Lawson and Dr. Davis find common ground over the great need for godly teachers and coaches to disciple student athletes, and discuss the connection between teaching and coaching. Coach Lawson draws his personal mission from Psalm 31:1-3, to be the kind of believer that teaches and coaches those who want to be taught and coached, multiplying the biblical character and leadership God has so graciously been molding in him.

Dr. Matt Davis talks with Maranatha’s own nursing faculty member, Dr. Sarah Urban, on this episode of On Mission. With years of experience as a nurse, Dr. Urban has dedicated herself to nursing education, driven by the goal of training nurse leaders. Dr. Urban talks about the satisfaction of teaching and the excitement of watching her students succeed in the healthcare field. She discusses the many paths available to students after graduation, debunking the idea that nurses only work in hospitals or clinics—some may work in community settings such as schools or public health departments, the military, healthcare leadership, case management, education, or even as a legal nurse consultant. And, Dr. Davis and Dr. Urban openly address the challenges of compassion fatigue, and of practicing faith in nursing—highlighting its holistic impact on patients’ lives. “Nursing is a unique ministry that makes a difference in the lives of patients not only physically but also psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually.” -Sarah Urban, PhD, RN, CNE

In this episode of On Mission, Dr. Matt Davis sits down with Dr. David Canedy, Deputation Director of Baptist World Mission (BWM). A former accountant, Dr. Canedy’s professional skills and pastoral gifts have been faithfully utilized by God in his current position to assist local churches in sending out missionaries. He discusses the process of missionary deputizing and board appointment, with a focus on BWM’s criteria for candidates. Dr. Canedy and Dr. Davis then delve into the importance of being faithful servants and how it relates to our stewardship of time, talent, and treasure—and the solace there is in God’s record-keeping. It is that eternal hope that protects us from the discouragements of life in today’s grievance-driven culture, and what motivates Canedy to remain faithful in the smallest aspects of life.

On this episode of On Mission, Dr. Matt Davis speaks with Pastor Ron Perry of Faith Baptist Church in Folsom, California. Pastor Perry shares poignant life lessons from his experience as a pastor, police chaplain, husband, and father. One key he shared is the involvement of his wife and their entire family in church ministry. Pastor Perry shares his unique gifting of relational shepherding, and how it has played a large role in how he and his family experience the burdens and joys of ministry.

Pastor Perry discusses his “seasonal” approach to living on mission, detailing what it looks like to "Put your Yes on the table for the Lord” and keep it there. Saying Yes represents the idea of surrendering to God’s will, trusting in God’s character—His goodness, love, and sovereignty—even before knowing the specifics of what He wants. As trust deepens with God, it gets easier to fully surrender; and the better we know God, the simpler it becomes to trust Him with our decisions.

In this episode of On Mission, Dr. Matt Davis speaks with Mark Cover, Co-CEO at Hines in Houston, Texas, where he has spent his career overseeing real estate acquisition, development and operations for Hines’ Southwest Region. Mr. Cover shares insights from working across cultures to build everything from community apartment complexes to billion-dollar stadiums; and how his unique skill set and personal mission to please the Lord translates to mentoring young people on the investment side and is funneled back to ministry in his discipleship of men in his local church. Mr. Cover is transparent about his plan for retirement, which is to steward his time, talent, and treasure long into the future by supporting church planting in inner cities through his family’s 501(c)(3) Great Commission Properties. Dr. Davis and Mr. Cover also discuss the challenges of stewarding personal and organizational assets well, and the cultural differences and risks of doing business or missions in foreign communities. While you may never manage a multi-billion-dollar real estate portfolio, this episode vividly illustrates the biblical truth that faithfulness in stewardship begins with the “little things” of life. As we demonstrate faithfulness, God rewards us with greater opportunities as He sees fit. (Luke 16:10) In eternity, believers will be ultimately rewarded for careful stewardship of the Master’s resources.