Born and raised in Williamsburg, Kentucky, Tyler grew up in a house of faith. Passionate about baseball during his youth, Tyler found his way to Johnson University as a baseball player. He wanted the Christian college experience but welcomed the opportunity to continue playing the game that he loved.

As a graduate of Johnson's undergraduate business administration program, Tyler was interested in obtaining an MBA and is currently working on this degree while working as the part-time Assistant Director of Alumni Relations with Johnson University. Tyler's focus is on building relationships with young alumni.

Born in southern California, Ben moved to south Florida when he was two years old and spent most of his childhood in Ocala. He earned a a B.A. in Bible and Youth & Family Ministry from Johnson University Florida (formerly Florida Christian College) and followed up that academic journey with an M.A. in Intercultural Studies from Lincoln Christian University in 2014.

Ben and his family live in St. Augustine, Florida, where he serves as the lead pastor of Homeport Christian Church.

This brief episode features comments shared during a few of the episodes during 2022. We will hear snippets from Mark Nelson, Joe Gordon, Laura McKillip Wood, Michal Ruth Penwell, Don Wallace, Andrew Frazier, Caleb Mullins, Lee Faust, and David Eubanks. 

The snippets are brief but their comments are insightful. I hope they will remind you of some of the challenges presented buy 2022 Sojournal guests and also encourage you to persevere in your sojourn of faith.

Barb and Clay Miazza reside on the south side of Knoxville, but Barb was raised on Long Island, New York. The daughter of a Irish-Catholic father and English mother, Barb's entire religious journey was as a member of the Christian Church near her Long Island home.

After a year in community college, Barb attended Johnson through her senior year but she did not graduate from Johnson. Listen to the podcast to learn what prevented her graduation and how the Lord directed Barbara to service in educational settings of great need.

Jared Holland, a.k.a. Tom Morgan, is the host of "Morgan in the Morning" for 99.7 WCYK in Charlottesville, Virginia. He got his start in radio by working for the former WJBC radio station on the campus of Johnson University and then moved into the local radio market with WOKI and WIVK in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Now in his second stint with 99.7 CYK, Jared also serve as a voice actor. He is married to 2009 graduate Michelle (Brown) Holland but didn't meet her until well after the completion of his undergraduate degree.

Want to see the video mentioned in the podcast? Contact Tyson Chastain at Johnson University.

Florida native, Shawn Smith, is a 2000 graduate of Florida Christian College (now Johnson University Florida). He earned both M.A. and M.Div. degrees at Lincoln Christian University, where he was employed as the Registrar through May 2022. Now, Shawn serves Johnson University Tennessee as the University Registrar. 

Learn about Shawn's journey and his family connections in Christian higher education. 

Chris Beard is a two-time graduate of Johnson University without ever having spent class time on campus. He is a graduate of Johnson's online MA in New Testament as well as the first-ever graduate of Johnson's online Ph.D. program in Leadership Studies. He now serves the University as the Dean of the Ph.D. program and operates out of his home base in Oklahoma. 

Born and raised in Oklahoma, Chris attend Ozark Christian College in Joplin, Missouri, and spent significant time in vocational ministry. He is now enjoying life on the homestead and continuing his passion for Christian higher education through his work as a Dean.

Today's brief episode is a compilation of Directors in the Advancement Office at Johnson University. Each one offers a brief note of what they are especially grateful for this year.

On behalf of everyone who keeps the Sojournal podcast going, we wish to express a heartfelt Happy Thanksgiving! We pray you enjoy family, friends, and love of the Heavenly Father this holiday season.

Harold Keck is an adjunct faculty member at Johnson University Tennessee, the lead minister of the nearby Seymour Heights Christian Church, and the current President of the Alumni Association. Listen in to hear about Harold's ministry journey, passion for people, and his plans for Homecoming 2023.

Harold and Missy (Hudnall, '85) Keck have two sons; Nathan and Zeb.  Harold is an Indiana boy at heart and enjoys a variety of hobbies including a little golf and cheering on the Indiana University Hoosiers.

Long-time listeners of the Sojournal podcast will know how rarely we host a current student as a guest on the podcast. We've done it three times now. The first was with Noah Pryor ('25) as a part of a series featuring the Pryor family. The second was with former Sojournal podcast editor, Sam Cunningham ('23). Today, we welcome the new Sojournal podcast editor, Lena Gavorski. 

Born in Ohio but raised in Greenwood, Indiana, Lena grew up in a Christian home. After a brief stint in community college, Lena joined the Johnson family in the fall of 2022. Listen in to Lena's journey and stick around for her insightful answer to the final question.

If you would like to send a note of encouragement to Lena, you can mail your greeting to:

Lena Gavorski, Sojournal editor