I’ve been an avid reader since I was five years old, when one afternoon I picked up a newspaper and to my family’s great surprise began to recite that evening’s television lineup. Since that day I have devoured all the printed media available to me. Growing up, I read at the dinner table, during recess, on the school bus, literally anyplace I could find enough light to make out the words on the page. An interest in writing soon followed. Several of my relatives had publishing and writing backgrounds, and they all encouraged my burgeoning passion. My grandfather, the retired Vice-President of Reader’s Digest, was especially influential for me. He was always willing to look at what I’d written and he never failed to patiently and clearly explain how I could make it better. His lessons stayed with me, and I arrived at college knowing that I wanted to do something with writing and words.
The attraction of the Apologia for me, then, was the opportunity to use my interests and skills in the service of the Lord. I saw this as a chance to use the abilities the Lord had given me to pour out my gratitude to Him for the free gift of eternal life in his Son, Jesus Christ. The mission statement of the journal—to articulate Christian perspectives in the academic community—resonated deeply with me. The opportunity to help spread the good news about Jesus through the articles and artwork in the Apologia is itself a tremendous blessing and gives me another reason for praise and thanksgiving.
Proverbs 16:3 reads, “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” My involvement with the journal hearkens back to the days when we were considering calling it The Dartmouth Keystone. In the two years since then, the Apologia has put out four issues and has print and digital subscribers from across the country and around the world. It is a testament to God’s great provision and goodness that our nascent publication—though we all think of it as His publication, really—has flourished in such a short amount of time and at such an ardently secularized institution as Dartmouth College.
Issue after issue, the editors, writers and layout staff devoted an enormous amount of time and energy to the journal. But we were not indefatigable, and the stress of looming deadlines often put strains on our relationships with one another. Tempers got short and egos swelled, but we stayed faithful to one another and to the greater task at hand. More than once during these periods of frustration and discouragement we paused work on the current issue to spend time together praying for one another and the journal. These were times of singular encouragement for me. Every single editor and staffer had an unswerving desire to pursue and serve God, and it was inspiring to be surrounded by such devoted co-laborers.
Not long ago I rediscovered Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord . . . it is the Lord Christ you are serving.” If I had to pick one verse to encapsulate my experience with the Apologia, I think this would be it. I have been involved in a number of activities at Dartmouth, from captaining the chess team to co-running the campus emergency medical services squad to leading the Navigators’ Fighting Mullets franchise to nearly a dozen intramural sports championships. Each of these was memorable in its own way, but the Apologia stands apart. Nothing else I have done at Dartmouth has given me better perspective on my position as a servant of the Lord. I am the Executive Editor of the Apologia because of how Jesus has changed my life. I want to spread the Gospel as widely as I can, and my position with the journal gives me one way to do this. How could I pursue it with anything less than my entire heart?
And now, like a retiring math teacher, it is time for me to sine off. God bless, be safe and whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.