From the President

NOT MY WILL, BUT YOUR WILL BE DONE

How does a homicide detective with the Houston Police Department become a pastor in the Church of the Nazarene and then the 15th president of Southern Nazarene University? If I only had a nickel (maybe a dollar because of inflation) for every time that question has been asked of me. I love the question, and I take joy in telling the story because it is all about God. The short answer to the question is: “I kept saying yes.” Though my faith journey has not been a straight line or free of challenges and at times even some confusion, I have tried to stay open to the leading of the Spirit and respond, “not my will, but Your will be done, here on earth (here at SNU), as it is in heaven.”

Did I always get it right? Absolutely not, but God is faithful and gentle, and He keeps directing, sometimes redirecting, and looking for surrendered hearts and obedient individuals. As you read the pages of this edition of SNU 1899, I believe “Thy will be done” is a thread you will see repeatedly. I love how the Lord has led and continues to lead SNU graduates to serve across the globe and in strategic ways. Almost every week, I hear another powerful story of impact and influence by an SNU graduate who has chosen to live a life of surrender and service.

From here, you can go anywhere!

My friend, Dr. Wally Quanstrom, an SNU alum and Foundation Board member likes to say, “From here (SNU), you can go anywhere!” While it was true in his life (and his wife, Dr. Fay Quanstrom), it has been true in thousands more, and I know it will continue to be experienced by women and men who simply say yes to God.

The longer story of how I came to SNU is found in the lives of countless individuals who loved me and led me along the way. Sunday School teachers who exhibited loads of patience, professors who taught and demonstrated their love of Jesus, pastors who inspired, encouraged, and even corrected me along the way, and friends and colleagues who invested in me and set examples for what it means to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus. My desire is to keep saying yes to God and to serve a university with a mission that has never been more important. SNU is purposefully different, and may we always be faithful to our mission of making Christlike disciples through higher education.

Dr. Keith Newman, President