Spiritual Life

GCU and GCE volunteers fanned out to two homes in the neighborhood on Friday, digging into painting and landscaping projects and defying the July heat. Homeowner Mira Nava recalled the first time Habitat visited her home eight years ago to fix the roof. Her mother was battling cancer at the time and told Nava: “This is a reminder that God is still here.” Andrea Northup, Habitat for Humanity Faith Relations Manager, told Nava: “That’s what GCU lives by — faith.”

It has been about three years since Michael Kary self-published what he once thought to be journals, and now his book, “Acting in Faith: A Christian’s Guide,” is being published by Kendall Hunt Publishing and distributed to other Christian institutions across the country. In it, Kary teaches students that they can still be proud Christians while also excelling in the acting profession. Kary believes that differences between the entertainment industry and Christianity have led to both sides holding misunderstood views about each other and hopes his book will help clear up some of the misconceptions that exist.

Adriana Quintanares moved to the United States when she was 4 years old, not speaking a word of English. She remembers her immigrant parents buying her a dictionary and looking up every word — every single word — to help her understand her homework. “My family, of course — and God — have kept me going,” said the GCU biology junior. Juan Colorado-Alvarez spoke about those school lunches no one seemed to like very much. He looked forward to them; sometimes those school lunches were the only meals he would eat. His immigrant parents, who worked two jobs each, constantly struggled to make it paycheck to paycheck. Quintanares and Colorado-Alvarez, a junior accounting major, reached deep and shared their hardships and how the Students Inspiring Students scholarship changed their lives at Tuesday’s SIS scholarship reception.

The Class of 2019 got to GCU at a time when the campus was starting to really grow. The soon-to-be graduates have a lot of thoughts about what they’ve seen.

The idea for the April issue of GCU Magazine actually was hatched in 2015, when we told the stories of some of the incoming students in the Class of 2019. Now they’re graduating, and it was time to see what their four years were like. The answer: It was a head-spinning time of growth, both on campus and for the students themselves. This issue also features the University’s first graduates from its engineering program and its Students Inspiring Students initiative, a look at how GCU teaches computer programming differently, the heartwarming story of Jesse Dalla Riva‘s transformation from drug addict to graduate, and a My LopeLife piece by another 2019 grad. There’s more: what’s ahead for the GCU men’s basketball program, the increasingly important communication tool utilized by online instructors and students, and yet another heartwarming story — this one on recent GCU Hall of Fame inductee Sharky Baker. To read the digital version, click here.  

A mission trip designed to connect the people in Cape Town, South Africa, to their local churches instead transformed the faith of 15 GCU students. By spending their spring break in the township of Khayelitsha, they were able to gain a new perspective on how God’s love is found in faith rather than worldly things. Students participated in prayer walks and home visits and assisted with the Vacation Bible School program. “We encountered people who literally had nothing and had some of the strongest faith in God that I’ve ever seen in my life,” said one of the leaders on the trip, Sydney Wastradowski.

The final Chapel talk of the spring semester was more than just a talk. Justin Unger of Likewise Worship Collective performed songs before discussing the importance of using music to bring people together at church services — not have separate services for different age groups.

The book of Proverbs is filled with words for the wise, Chad Moore told Chapel on Monday, and you’re foolish if you don’t heed them. “Fools wish upon a star, which is awesome in a Disney movie,” he said. “But in real life, wishing upon a star won’t get you very far. You have to know the right thing, and you have to work it and do it.”

Students volunteering with GCU’s Homeless Ministry ventured out recently to St. Vincent de Paul to serve the homeless, giving haircuts and donated clothes and washing individuals’ feet. “These people are our friends, and we are so grateful to have the chance to love and serve them in the name of Jesus,” said communications student Anders Carlson, who helps lead GCU’s Homeless Ministry team.

Monday’s Chapel talk by Jay Pathak of Mile High Vineyard in Denver was a great example of how effective storytelling can bring home a message. Pathak gave two wonderful examples, laced with humor and poignant results, of what it means to be a good neighbor.