SPRING 2021
PERMISSION TO
EXPLORE
Morgan Harper Nichols on art, faith and the freedom to create p. 30
A FLOURISHING COMMUNITY Why diversity matters at Point p. 20
LEARNING (FROM) LAMENT How do we suffer well — even biblically? p. 24
SAVE THE DATE:
Benefiting scholarships for local students in Troup and Chambers Counties
FRIDAY, MAY 7 Did you know 14 percent of Point University students are from Troup and Chambers Counties? Support Point’s Golf Classic to contribute to the $1.5 million in aid given to these local students!
SPONSORSHIPS NOW AVAILABLE $5,000 $2,500 $1,000 $600 $350
Presenting Sponsor Skyhawk Sponsor Gold Sponsor Team Sponsor Hole Sponsor
FIND OUT MORE AND REGISTER AT POINT.EDU/GOLFCLASSIC
CONTENTS 4 From the President 5 University News ON THIS PAG E A N D THE COV E R Artwork designed for Point by alumna, artist and poet Morgan Harper Nichols ’10. Order a print of the cover artwork at point.edu/mhn.
12
EDUCATION, UNBOUNDED How Point faculty are adapting to teaching in a pandemic.
16
BIRD’S EYE VIEW Point’s sports medicine team has taken the lead on keeping our campus safe.
20
A FLOURISHING COMMUNITY Leonard Phillips, Point’s chief diversity officer, on how the University is growing and changing.
24
LEARNING (FROM) LAMENT morgan harper nichols ’10
Jim Street ’74 on what we need to know about biblical lament in 2021.
30
PERMISSION TO EXPLORE An interview with poet, artist and social media star Morgan Harper Nichols ’10. SPRIN G 2021 | 3
FROM THE PRESIDENT
POIN T M AG AZI NE Volume 59, Number 2 Spring 2021 EDITOR/DESIGNER Sarah G. Huxford CONTRIBUTORS Kassi Butcher Amber Rasmussen Elizabeth Moncrief Smith ’20 Jim Street ’74
I hope you will read and enjoy this issue of Point Magazine. I suspect you will agree that nothing in our view could have predicted the pandemic and turmoil of 2020 and early 2021. Yet the fact that we are each sitting somewhere reading this magazine is evidence of the mercy and wisdom of God. We haven’t gotten this far on our own strength! In fact, some of the topics we discuss in this issue result from our mistakes and misunderstanding of racial diversity from God’s perspective, on the one hand, and the failure of many believers to understand and practice biblical lament. In our shared pandemic, we have been allowed, forced or possibly invited to consider things we have long ignored. As president of Point University, I am proud of our community, our alumni and our students for how they have navigated and continue to navigate difficult and unsettling times. I think you will enjoy reading the interview with alumna Morgan Harper Nichols ’10, who has a unique way of creating visual beauty and poetry to express God’s grace for each of us. Sit back and enjoy this special double issue. Then take the time to consider God’s call to lament, to endure, to embrace difficult moments, and to embrace how the church must reflect and lead in the area of racial reconciliation and trust building. By His grace,
Dean C. Collins ’79 President 4 | POINT MAGAZINE
CONTACT US: Point University Attn: Point Magazine 507 West 10th Street West Point, GA 31833 706-385-1000 editor@point.edu © 2021 Point University Point University’s mission is to educate students for Christ-centered service and leadership throughout the world. Point University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate, baccalaureate and master’s degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, at http://www.sacscoc.org, or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Point University.
devin forbus videography
I
don’t remember which year I memorized these verses of Scripture while I was a student at Atlanta Christian College, now Point University. If you are an alum from the ’60s forward, you may have memorized it, as well: “Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?’ For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:33-36, NIV)
Point Magazine exists to tell Point University’s stories. It is intended to serve as a vehicle for connecting the University’s alumni and friends. For the first 49 volumes of its existence, Point Magazine was known as The Gold & Blue. The magazine is published by the Communications Office, which retains the right to determine the editorial content and presentation of information contained herein. Articles or opinion pieces contributed by guest writers do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of Point University and its board of trustees. Point Magazine welcomes reader responses to its content.
UNIVERSITY NEWS
amber rasmussen
SNAPSHOT Point students, faculty and staff quickly adapted to a new way of being together this year — classes held at least partially on Zoom, masks and social distancing required in campus buildings, and limited spectators at sporting events. Here, Josseline Rodriguez ’22, of Annapolis, Maryland, finds a quiet spot to study in the Learning Commons. For more on how Point has adapted to the challenges of COVID-19, turn to page 12.
SPRIN G 2021 | 5
HEADLINES
he Point men’s golf team will be looking to pick up where they left off in 2020, as the Skyhawks closed out the calendar year without losing a single tournament. The Skyhawks are currently the No. 1 team in the NAIA for men’s golf, according to Bushnell Golfweek and Golfstat. “The success that we had last year didn’t just happen,” first-year Head Coach Shannon Lipham said. “It’s been a process of building this team over the last few years. A lot of people are responsible for where we are today. You have to go back to the 2016-17 team that won the first Appalachian Athletic Championship. They set the ground work for the recent success nationally.” The Skyhawks were on track for their most successful spring season in program history before the pandemic hit last year. “March 13, 2020, is a day I will never forget. It was the last round of competitive golf we played that year,” Lipham said. “We were very fortunate to get to compete in the fall of 2020. We had returning All-Americans Ruan Pretorius ’21, Eric Wowor ’21 and Ryan van der Klis ’22, along with Trevor Poole ’22 and Cole Stevens ’24. We felt like we had one of the best teams in the NAIA.” The team picked up where they left off in the fall season and continued to grow from there, working their way up to becoming the No. 1 team in the nation. “Coming out of the fall, we were playing really well and ranked in the top five in 6 | POINT MAGAZINE
the country,” Lipham said. “We started the spring by winning the Champions Gate Invitational in Orlando. We beat the No. 1-ranked team (Keiser) in the country and followed that by winning in Beaufort, South Carolina, at the Sandshark Invitational. I really felt we were the best team in the NAIA at that point.” “To be ranked No. 1 in the country is very special,” Lipham said. “As I said before, so many people have a hand in our success. We hear from former players all the time about how proud they are of the program. It truly means a lot.” Lipham gives much of the credit for the team’s success to former head coach Steven Paine. Paine was the head coach of the program for over six years before stepping down in December 2020 to join the NCAA Division I Mississippi State coaching staff. Lipham’s goal for his team this season is to finish the year still ranked as the No. 1 team in the nation. To learn more about the Skyhawks’ pandemicaltered seasons, visit pointskyhawks.com
kassi butcher; infographic by amber rasmussen
MEN’S GOLF LOOKS TO CONTINUE SUCCESS UNDER NEW LEADERSHIP T
HEADLINES
Shields Joins Point Board of Trustees The University announced in December that Derrick Shields, pastor of Christ Community Church in Columbus, Georgia, has been named to its board of trustees. “Derrick is a great addition to our board of trustees,” said Dean Collins ’79, president of Point. “His commitment to Christ and his demonstrated servant-leadership in Columbus make him uniquely qualified to help Point University fulfill our mission.” Shields, a native of Coffeeville, Mississippi, is a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Army. After retiring from the military in 1995, he built a successful career in real estate. During this time, he served in several leadership positions and was recognized as Realtor of the Year.
Shields left real estate in 2015 to pursue a calling to full-time ministry. As Christ Community Church’s lead pastor, he has been instrumental in leading the church to becoming multi-ethnic in membership and in its impact on the local community. “When I read the statement ‘equipping the next generation of Christian leaders’ on the Point website, it was confirmation that this is the right place to get involved,” said Shields. “I want to join others in preparing our graduates to take the cross to job sites, churches, industries and the nations.” Collins added, “Over the years, we’ve had many students, and now graduates, in and from Columbus; we feel like we’ve found the missing piece of the puzzle of accelerating our mission in this region.” Shields and his wife of 33 years, Andrea, have three children — Derrick Jr., Christopher and Deandra — and a grandson, Jayden.
Tuition Remaining Steady for 2021-22 Point announced in January that there will be no tuition increase for students in the 2021-22 academic year, an annual savings of up to $800. For more information on the costs of attending Point, visit point.edu/ tuitionandbilling. University News To read the latest Point news, visit our website at point.edu/news.
randall hamer; social media posts courtesy of users
WHAT'S TRENDING
jesusplace_atl: Kimberly,
a student @pointuniversity, called last week asking if she and a couple friends from the basketball team could volunteer at Jesus Place. Kimberly, Nicole and Jordan busted out food bags and hygiene packs that will go to the people we serve. Thank you ladies!!
pointskyhawks_wlax:
Things are a little different this year, but we are so glad we could still meet as a team to watch Convocation. #togetherwefly #pointuniversity #womenslacrosse #lacrosse #lax
ggds_01: Total focus for
this week #togetherwefly #goalkeeper
#
ccsknightlife: Congratula-
tions, Carlie, on your acceptance to Point University! #ccsknightlife #pointuniversity
Share your tweets, Facebook posts and Instagram photos with the Point community! Tag your posts with #pointuniversity or #togetherwefly.
SPRIN G 2021 | 7
randall hamer
8 | POINT MAGAZINE
HEADLINES
randall hamer
MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM WRAPS UP BEST SEASON IN PROGRAM HISTORY The 2020-21 Point men’s basketball team just finished one of the best seasons in the history of the program. Point’s success on the court has been two years in the making, with Head Coach Jake Deer wrapping up his second year at the helm of the program that he held to high expectations since his first day. “When I took the job a year and a half ago, I thought the program needed a complete overhaul in the areas of character, academics, work ethic, talent and togetherness,” Deer says. Before Deer, the men’s program had losing seasons each year since 2013-14. In his first year, Deer and the Skyhawks finished 15-15, and in year two, the Skyhawks surpassed their win total from last season and set a new school record for the longest winning streak with 10 consecutive wins. The Skyhawks finished this season with an overall record of 18-7. The turnaround the team made was noticed not only at the conference level, but also at the national level, as the Skyhawks were ranked at No. 25 in the NAIA Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll during the season. The team was recognized as the No. 1 team in the Appalachian Athletic Conference leading into postseason play, as well. This year’s squad had one of the best offenses in the AAC and in program history, with seven players averaging 7.4 points per game or more. Four Skyhawks were recognized in the national rankings for their offensive efforts, and the team garnered 11 national team rankings. Point’s 10-game winning streak surpassed the previous winning streak, which was set in 2008, by three games. The 18 victories are the fifth most in a single season in program history. In a season like no other, Deer and the Skyhawks attempted to play as normal of a schedule as possible, starting the year off with three nonconference match-ups before entering AAC play. The Skyhawks opened the season 4-0 before falling to Milligan in double overtime. Point then went on to pick up two wins over Tennessee Wesleyan and AAC foe Columbia International in overtime. Following those two victories, the Skyhawks fell to Bryan and Montreat, then went 5-0 in the month of December. The Skyhawks opened 2021 with five wins. This season featured six returners from last season and 11 newcomers. Among the top returners were Corey Bowen ’21, Lorenzo Freeman ’21 and Ray Reeves ’21. Among the newcomers, Deer highlights Jake Smith Jr. ’22, R.J. Selman ’22 and Tommy Carter ’22. “It’s hard to be good without quality point
Head Coach Jake Deer and the Point Skyhawks have had the team’s best season since the move to NAIA athletics. On the opposite page, senior Lorenzo Freeman drives down the court.
guards at any level, and we’ve been blessed with a trio,” Deer says. “All three men impact our team differently, yet their impact has been vital to our success.” Deer says the Skyhawks would not be where they are today without the core student-athletes who played an important role in his first season at the helm. “SaeQuahn Rogers, Brent Gaither and Jarrell Holmes played a major part in our initial effort to turn this program around,” Deer says. “Their personal investment buy-in and work are major reasons why we have the level of talent we have now.” Rogers ’20, Gaither ’20 and Holmes (’19-’20) were all leaders on the team in 2019-20. In late February, the Skyhawks entered the AAC conference tournament as the No. 2 seed, but lost to Union in the quarterfinal game. Bowen and Freeman were named to the All-AAC First Team, while Reeves was named to the All-AAC Second Team. Deer was named the AAC Coach of the Year. During his time with the program, Deer has had five players earn All-Conference recognition, led the Skyhawks to a national ranking, and turned around a team that had finished 7-22 the year before he arrived. “We are a long way away from where I’d like to be; however, the success this season was a tribute to our administration, coaching staff, and ultimately the players that have decided to come and invest their talents with us here at Point University,” Deer says. “The national rankings, being towards the top of the league, et cetera — to me, is the byproduct of the work that has been put in. From my standpoint, it is great to see our players reap what has been sown.” SPRIN G 2021 | 9
VIRTUALLY CELEBRATING THE
CLASS of 2020 P
oint awarded degrees to 135 students on Saturday, December 19, during its virtual commencement. The ceremony, which was streamed live on YouTube and Facebook, featured a commencement address from professional athlete and sports analyst Brian Jordan, formerly of the Atlanta Braves and Atlanta Falcons. “It certainly has been an unusual year,” said Dean Collins ’79, president, in his opening remarks. “But we want to create the most warm and positive experience for each of our graduates, who’ve earned the privilege of receiving their diplomas today.” The graduates received degrees ranging from associate to master’s degrees, representing a wide variety of areas of study. In his commencement address, Jordan focused on the University’s spiritual formation theme for 2020-21, “Rescued and Delivered,” reflecting on the times he experienced God’s deliverance in his own life and sports career. “Believe and dream big,” Jordan said. “No dream is too small. You will have challenges in life; you will have obstacles to overcome. And if you don’t put God first, then it will fall by the wayside.” “We have been through a crazy year with the pandemic,” Jordan continued. “You have been challenged with remote schooling. Everything that could possibly go wrong this year has probably gone wrong, to a lot of people. But because you believed, you achieved today.” Each year, the University recognizes an outstanding graduate from both the residential and online programs with the Hathcock Award, the highest honor given to a graduating Point student. Named for the University’s founder, the award is given based on academic achievement, character, and servant-leadership. This fall’s Hathcock Award recipients are Alaina Strickland, of Sharpsburg, Georgia, and Dana Osborne, of Martinsville, Ohio. The ceremony will remain available for graduates and families to view on the University’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. A limited, in-person graduation is planned for May 2021 graduates.
Typically, we’d fill these pages with photos taken by University staff during commencement. However, since the ceremony was virtual, we asked graduates to send in photos of their own celebrations with friends and family. We promise, there were some men in the Class of 2020... but none of them sent us photos! Congratulations to all of our new alumni. Those pictured here are Aisha Higgins, Kimberly Bailey, Tanaka Appling, Camillia Carlisle, Brittney Chandler, Kinley Osborn, Kristen Stripling, Cordney Darden and Camill Davis. photos courtesy of these brand-new point alumni
SPRIN G 2021 | 11
Education, Unbounded Point faculty share the ways they’ve adapted — and thrived — in this very unusual academic year
d’ann conroy seawright (’14-’15)
BY AMBER RASMUSSEN
12 | POINT MAGAZINE
There is nothing quite like the feeling of going back to school— fresh, new notebooks and pencils, the joy of old friends reuniting, the possibility of new friendships emerging, and the seemingly endless opportunity to learn and grow. For colleges and universities throughout the world, however, going back to school looked different this year. In spring 2020, with the sudden outbreak of COVID-19, institutions were challenged to adapt their classroom experiences from in-person, face-toface instruction to virtual, distanced learning. For many, this transition has not been easy. Attempting to engage students in an online format requires a new level of creativity and innovation. It requires ample research and commitment to the well-being of students, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to online instruction. Despite these difficulties, the professors and instructors at Point University have dedicated the last ten months to going above and beyond the typical call of teaching to create new, exciting and innovative educational opportunities for their students. Many of them quickly learned that it was going to require more than a PowerPoint presentation and a recorded lecture to provide their students with the high-quality Christian education Point is known for. They have attended training and seminars, developed new strategies, and altered their approaches to teaching in order to engage students and to help them grow in their knowledge and understanding of the concepts taught in each course. One such innovator is Dr. Greg Moffatt ’88, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and professor of counseling psychology. When online instruction began last spring, Moffatt became completely invested in adapting his
classes so that they were the best they could possibly be. He recognized that a new modality required new behaviors from both students and faculty. Through this process, Moffatt has had to reassess how he thought about and presented the information for his students. “We’re coming up with new ways to do what we’ve always done,” says Moffatt. “It’s fun to see it working and not be afraid to change things up.” Moffatt has reformatted his classes significantly, from eliminating in-class tests to shortening classes and reducing the amount of information that is handed to students. He says his aim is for his students to engage with the content and work together to understand it for themselves. He wondered if there was a better way to present content in class, and he found that there was. Now, when students take a test in Moffatt’s classes, the test is not the majority of the grade, which relieves some of the pressure many students feel when taking a test that can often negatively affect their test scores. Instead, his tests are designed for students to use their books and find the information themselves. The test is open online for an entire week, and students can take the test multiple times. He has found that this system has resulted in students looking at the content more often than if they were studying for an in-person test, and because they are not under the intense pressure of in-class test-taking, they often understand and retain the concepts much better. Moffatt has also changed his approach to communicating with students. Interestingly, Moffatt says that he has been surprised by how he is interacting with his students in different ways. Of
course, his on-campus interactions with them are limited, but Zoom allows for more one-on-one time between Moffatt and his students. He is online and available to his students every day, and he says his personal goal is to respond to a student’s email before they have the chance to close their laptop. If a student is failing one of his classes, he or she is required to meet with Moffatt at least once a week. This allows him to build relationships with his students in different ways than if he were on campus with them. “I’m giving myself to my students in a new way now. I want them to know I’m here,” he says. Other, more hands-on fields have had their own struggles in adapting their in-person content to the virtual classroom. Some courses, such as math, are more difficult to present and teach online. Tammy Burch, who teaches several levels of math at the University, has experienced the difficulty of battling online applications that enable students to correctly finish homework without actually understanding the material. She has found it more frustrating than she expected to encourage the students to put in the work to understand what she is teaching. Often, students would not watch her lectures and would immediately attempt to complete the homework, which was obviously unsuccessful. After several different adaptations to her courses, Burch believes she has found a model that is working for her and her students. This new model requires a one-on-one Zoom meeting with Burch in which the student is given three surprise problems and must explain how to solve them. Credit is given for getting the correct answer, but the majority of the credit comes from the correct explanation of the problem and its solution. “I feel that this showed the students they actually do have to learn the material to be successful in the class,” Burch says. SPRIN G 2021 | 13
14 | POINT M AGAZINE
the energy level to plummet. To help address this problem, Southerland began implementing the breakout rooms feature on Zoom, which allows students to meet and discuss in smaller groups. Even still, this new system does not compare to being in person. Southerland has found other ways to pique her students’ interest and create a sense of community in her classes. One creative way is through the implementation of a “bitmoji” character in her course creation. A bitmoji is a customizable cartoon character that Southerland places all throughout her classes. Other features online have made it easier for students to upload videos and to collaborate on documents together, even from a distance. Still others have stepped outside their comfort zones to incorporate new technology into their classrooms and make their style of teaching more efficient. Wye Huxford ’73, dean of the College of Biblical Studies and Ministry and professor of New Testament and theology, saw the transition to online learning as an opportunity to rethink what content in his classes was essential to students. In his long history of teaching and his passion for the subjects he teaches, he finds that even in a typical semester, he is not able
d’ann conroy seawright (’14-’15)
Burch is not alone in her struggle to engage her students online in these more hands-on courses. Teaching future educators has also presented its fair share of challenges. Several of Point’s education classes and requirements to graduate are classroom and lab-based, meaning if K-12 schools are closed, students cannot meet the necessary requirements. Fortunately, the schools in the local West Point, Valley and Lanett communities returned to in-person classes for fall 2020; however, many of the education program’s online students are located all across the country. For those living in states with more restrictions for schools, it has been difficult to get the practice they need. To address this problem, Dr. Lacey Southerland, professor of education and department chair for the child and youth development program, reached out to the community of Point education alumni. Several of them have generously lent their virtual classrooms for these online students to complete their practicum experiences and graduate from Point. One of the most difficult aspects of online teaching for Southerland has been the lack of relational connections with students. The students’ ability to mute themselves and turn off their cameras during Zoom classes caused
to say everything he wants to — there is simply not enough time. In his virtual classes, however, he has had to be disciplined in determining which content is truly foundational for the course. “In one of my classes,” says Huxford, “there is this infamous project. When we went online, I decided that I was going to keep it, even in the new format. The projects last fall were as good or better than any other class before, and that was when I realized that I don’t have to teach them everything I know for them to succeed.” Huxford has had to make adjustments to how he physically teaches, as well. Last fall, he was teaching Greek, but found that he struggled to demonstrate to students the precise way in which to write out the Greek alphabet. After researching, Huxford discovered an app that would transform his phone into a digital overhead projector, which then displays on his computer screen for his class to see. He has been able to transfer this method of teaching to several of his other classes, as well, and he has found that with a small amount of research and flexibility, he can adapt his classes to be just as effective as if they were meeting in person. While each professor agreed that they would prefer to be in the classroom, face-to-face with their students — able to see their smiles, hear their laughter and witness the moment when they begin to finally understand a new concept — they have all been surprised by this opportunity to break outside of the box and create something new. They all agreed that the students have made it all worth the effort, a heartfelt sentiment expressed by Dr. Joshua Rice, instructor of biblical studies and ministry. “Overall,” Rice says, “I have experienced a greater confidence in the resilience of our students — a heightened respect for them — and I am proud of their initiative and ability to make a way.”
TEACHING IN A PANDEMIC
sarah huxford; d’ann conroy seawright (’14-’15)
Clockwise from top left: Prof. Wye Huxford, teaching biblical Greek with a document camera from his home office; Dr. Lacey Southerland; Tammy Burch, math instructor, demonstrating her setup for teaching remotely from her office in the Lanier Academic Center; Dr. Greg Moffatt. Opposite page: Burch using classroom technology in the LAC to demonstrate math problems for students.
SPRIN G 2021 | 15
Adam Daum, head athletic trainer, and Dana Vander Wal, assistant athletic trainer
d’ann conroy seawright (’14-’15)
16 | POINT MAGAZINE
BIRD ’S EYE
VIEW _______________
Point’s sports medicine team on the University’s COVID-19 response BY KASSI BUTCHER
SPRIN G 2021 | 17
W
ith the ongoing pandemic affecting how people live their daily lives, Point University’s administrators and staff made it their mission at the beginning of the school year to try to create a college experience for all Point students that would be as normal as possible, but also safe. Because so many of Point’s students are also athletes, it has fallen to the sports medicine team to work tirelessly to try to create a safe environment for Point’s 19 athletic teams, so that each could participate in a season resembling a typical one. “The pandemic is certainly like nothing I have ever seen before,” says Head Athletic Trainer Adam Daum. Daum spent a lot of his summer joining multiple weekly Zoom meetings with senior administrators and other individuals who acted as decision makers regarding COVID-19 at Point. Daum says that discussions frequently centered around how and what students returning to campus would look like for the fall semester after being sent home during the spring. “As the summer drew to a close and the semester came closer and closer, I realized the sports medicine department would be more instrumental in the process of returning people to campus than any of us had originally anticipated,” Daum says. With the fall semester quickly approaching, the sports medicine team continued to keep the well-being of student-athletes as their top priority. This focus now included incorporating safety protocols to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. “Our focus not only included the student-athletes, but now the entire Point community and how to keep everyone safe and healthy,” Daum says. “While the circumstances had changed and the logistical component transitioned into something larger, the end goal remained the same: health and wellness of the Point community.” 18 | POINT MAGAZINE
“I would say the first ‘step’ for us was creating policies and procedures which would be effective, but also practical,” he adds. “We knew they had to possess the ability to be implemented within the confines of the resources we had or could obtain.” Assistant Athletic Trainer Andrew Welch says that putting in extra safety and health measures allowed the team to track symptoms and exposures to try to prevent COVID-19 from affecting any other students. “The earlier we could notice these potential cases, the more prepared the team and the athletic department could be for the next steps,” Welch says. One of the main tools that helped the team monitor symptoms among the Point community was an app called TalonView. TalonView has provided students, faculty and staff an easy way to report any symptoms or exposures they might have had. All three groups are required to complete daily check-ins via the app prior to entering campus facilities. As the pandemic has continued to progress into the spring semester yet again, Daum says the sports medicine team has continued to be proactive with implementing precautionary measures above the minimum standards set forth by both institutional and local governing authorities. These precautionary measures include enforcing facial covering while inside buildings, social distancing implementations, and sanitizing and disinfecting on a greater, detailed level with increased frequency and volume. Monitoring the spread has been a top priority amongst the COVID-19 advisory team as the group has kept an eye on trends locally, regionally and nationally. The team has also monitored any changes and the latest recommendations from the Georgia Department of Public Health, the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. “The COVID advisory board’s decisions have been very
influential in the minor adjustments our department has made,” Daum says. The department has had to take on more responsibilities than they would during a regular year. Their roles now not only involve keeping student-athletes physically ready for competition, but also helping prevent them from contracting the coronavirus. “I think the most challenging aspect for me has been the minute details,” Daum says. “The tediousness of it all and the sheer volume of necessary inter- and intra-departmental communication to help keep everyone on the same page. The most eye-opening for me would be how just a ‘few’ simple additional tasks and responsibilities can be so time- and resource-consuming.” The team has not only had to keep their materials and training rooms sanitized and disinfected, but has been responsible for providing every athletic team with sanitation and disinfectant resources. They have also helped communicate to each team how to best conduct socially distanced practices, meetings and gatherings. The sports medicine team’s goal is to be able to move forward to “normal” routines once again and not take anything for granted. “As athletic trainers, we get to experience so much,” says Welch. “Seeing the joy on athletes’ faces when we celebrate achievements tops anything. Whether it be a return from injury, or championship celebrations, we get to ride along side of them in the high times and low.” “The hype of game day, the athletic training room conversations, and so much more; you don’t really understand the difference the small things make until they’re taken away,” he adds. “I pray that we take full advantage of our everyday joys as we try to get back to ‘normal’ routines and remember the lows that COVID-19 brought us as we work together for a healthy future.”
d’ann conroy seawright (’14-’15)
“
Our focus not only included the student-athletes, but now the entire Point community and how to keep everyone safe and healthy.
”
—ADAM DAUM, HEAD ATHLETIC TRAINER
SPRIN G 2021 | 19
A FLOURISHING COMMUNITY PO IN T ’S N EW C H I EF DI VE RS I TY O FFICER ON W HERE W E ’ RE G O I NG BY ELIZABETH MONCRIEF SMITH ’20
seven percent. In a world so large and flourishing with people of different races and ethnicities, universities are celebrating when they reach a surprisingly low margin of diversity on their campuses. “When I talk to other colleges or I go to conferences, talk to my peers, or associations we’re a part of, Christian colleges that are about our size – honestly, if they reach seven percent diversity, they are celebrating. They think that is a lot of diversity,” says Laura Schaaf, dean of students at Point. After the tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of the police this past May, a new conversation started across our nation about racial justice, equality and diversity. Even though many universities have now started taking initiative to make sure they are bringing diversity on their campuses, Point started back in 2006 – and the evidence is on display today. Newly hired at Point at the time, President Dean Collins ’79 met with the board of trustees and posed the question, how well are we serving all God’s people? At that time, Point’s diversity was 15 percent. “We stepped back and said, we need to do better,” Collins says. “We need to provide a Christ-centered education to all people.” From that moment, Point started a journey to diversity that is still being built upon today. In fall 2020, our student body was made up of 47 percent minorities, compared to 2006’s 15 percent. Statistics from College Factual tell us that Point is already ranked 518 out of 2,475 universities across the nation, the top 20 percent, when it comes to diversity. Our staff’s goal to make our campus reflect God’s kingdom and to be sure that it has a rich blend of God’s people has come a long way and will continue to grow in the future. Collins says, “Our intention was simply to be the people God called us to be and serve the people that God loves.” The work to get to the place we are now has included marketing intentionally for all students; appointing diverse trustees, professors, staff, and coaches; forming a diversity task force; and appointing a chief diversity officer. March marks the three-year anniversary of Leonard Phillips joining the Point staff. Phillips was previously working in corporate America, but he felt a pull to do something more. He left his job and enrolled in seminary. Not long after, Phillips received an email from a friend about a position that was opening at a Christian university, and he jumped at the opportunity. He spent time working to create church partnerships and other connections for Point. 20 | POINT M AGAZINE
shutterstock
SPRIN G 2021 | 21
22 | POINT MAGAZINE
d’ann conroy seawright (’14-’15)
Last June, the University announced that Phillips was being appointed as Point’s first chief diversity officer. Phillips is responsible for leading Point’s diversity initiatives, as well as working with churches to bring about racial unity in the communities that Point serves. Collins wanted someone in the role who represents Christ well and meets the criteria that God laid out in Scripture of what a leader should look and act like. Phillips, he says, fit those requirements and more. Everyone involved
in choosing whom to hire for this position agreed that Phillips’s name came to everyone’s minds first. Phillips’s life experiences have led him to and prepared him for the position he has now. As a child growing up on the south side of Chicago, he attended a majority Black, Catholic elementary school called Holy Angels. This school poured into him the pride and appreciation that he needed. In high school, he moved into an all-boys school that exposed him to diversity. Phillips says, “I learned quickly that I wasn’t better than anyone, but I also learned that there was no one better than me.” His experience at this high school not only exposed him to people of different races and ethnicities, but also a different aspect of religion. It taught him how to respect people, even if they believed differently or looked differently. Phillips adds that the mentor that he had through Link Unlimited, a wealthy white man, showed him so much love that would later influence his ability to do well in this position. Even though his early years gave him the qualities he needed to be Point’s chief diversity officer, later life experiences played an important role, as well. Phillips’s leadership positions in corporate America helped him to better understand how to work with all different kinds of people. President Collins believes that his background in business, combined with his theological perspective, will be of great benefit for him to be able to help churches be more intentional about diversity, too. As the first chief diversity officer at Point, Phillips is taking on what he says is a big title. His idea of a diversity officer is someone who is a spokesperson for all people. This person should be someone who can promote and create awareness for issues that may be happening with our University, community or world. Phillips feels as though he is just continuing the goals of Point laid out by its mission statement. He says, “Our mission, equipping students for Christ-centered service and leadership throughout the world: that is what excites me. So, I hope to promote an atmosphere of diversity and inclusion.” Phillips already has the wheels rolling on what he would like to do on our campus. With the help of Dr. Bernard Hill, chief student development and retention officer, and Alan Wilson, athletic director, the hard conversations surrounding race and diversity have started with Point’s sports teams.
beth smith; photos provided by publishers
Phillips says, “We are having conversations with them about diversity, about difference and about decisions. We started that the first week I was in the role.” Phillips’s next step is implementing workshops and training for professors and staff, so that a diverse atmosphere is celebrated and Point’s curriculum meets the needs of every student. These workshops are being planned and worked on now with various faculty and staff members. Phillips says that promoting an atmosphere that celebrates diversity will naturally happen through equal respect coming from everyone at Point and by putting Jesus at the center of everything we are doing. So far, the work that has been done has met little resistance and has been a great opportunity for the University to allow people to know we are Christians by our love. Hill, who has been working alongside Phillips, says, “He has done something that I think we all endeavor to do, and that is to create open lines of communication about the needs of students and how each person at our institution is important.” Hill believes that diversity should be about respecting and embracing differences. One thing he says he enjoys most about Phillips is that he is a Christian first, and then everything else. He says that the tie that binds us is Christ, and that is what Phillips builds his work upon. “The students’ experience matters to him,” Hill says. “The importance of the mission matters to him.” Phillips’s goals for initiative and change will not be met overnight; they will take time. The drive for diversity will not stop with where we are now; it will continue. It is much bigger than just Leonard Phillips; it includes all of Point University. “We have to be ready to listen,” Phillips says. “We have to be eager to learn, and as Christians, we have to always be loving.” This is his call to action for Point University. Elizabeth Moncrief Smith ‘20 graduated from Point in December with a degree in counseling and human services. She plans to one day start a nonprofit to assist underprivileged families. Smith lives in Valley, Alabama, with her husband, Connor, and two dogs, Poncho and Luka.
recommended reading As part of the observation of Black History Month in February, the Diversity Task Force and Student Life Office partnered to create a book display in the Learning Commons. The display featured both fiction and nonfiction books recommended by faculty and staff. A few of the most popular recommendations are listed below.
Just Mercy, attorney Bryan Stevenson’s powerful book on the justice system; The Color of Compromise, Jemar Tisby’s historical account of racism in the American church; and biographer Jon Meacham’s His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and The Power of Hope.
Recent fiction recommendations included both of Colson Whitehead’s novels, The Underground Railroad and The Nickel Boys, which won Pulitzer Prizes three years apart; and Yaa Gyasi’s epic Homegoing. SPRIN G 2021 | 23
24 | POINT M AGAZINE
shutterstock
LEARNING (FROM)
LAMENT What do we do when the world falls apart? BY JIM STREET ’74
SPRIN G 2021 | 25
THE YEAR
2020 . . . I will not complete that thought, because you likely completed it yourself more quickly than I could have typed it. From the COVID-19 pandemic, to political hostilities at every level of society, to social unrest and the shaking of cultural foundations, the year 2020 . . . We all met it with our own familiar inventory of problems and challenges. And, of course, we added a few more (or should I say, “a few more were added”) to the ones we already had. Job loss. Economic ruin. Deaths of loved ones. Hard transitions. The year 2020 . . . It brought troubles and compounded the ones we already had. But it’s not as if we can breathe a sigh of relief, or that we somehow drove 2020 away with our New Year’s Eve rituals. Like a tsunami, 2020 still floods and swirls and crashes into 2021. But we are a brave and resilient lot, aren’t we? Somehow, we have managed to pick our way through. But aren’t we sad — if not for our own losses, then for the losses of others? And aren’t we tired — if not physically, then mentally and emotionally? And are we not at least a little frayed around the edges, spiritually speaking? The year 2019 . . . for me, that year was more eventful than 2020. I met 2019 with breathless anticipation, as my 17-year adventure with congestive heart failure began to come to an end. By the end of February, I was admitted to Emory Hospital. I finally emerged from there on Mother’s Day Eve — 50 pounds lighter, but with a heart beating in my chest, one donated by a generous stranger. In addition to learning to walk again, going to rehab to gain some strength, and dealing with the trauma of all I had been through, as well as the side effects of meds, I spent my time studying the topic of suffering and trying to make some sense of all that had happened to me.
ON SUFFERING WELL
One day, I went back to Emory for my umpteenth 26 | POINT MAGAZINE
heart biopsy. I climbed up on a gurney and laid on my left side. Although I was surrounded by nurses and surgery assistants, one nurse stood only a foot or two in front me and monitored the interior of my heart. I watched the heart beat, the ventricles, and the clapping hands of a healthy heart valve. A cardiologist gave me a shot in the right side of my neck, punctured a small hole in it and pushed some tiny tweezers through a vein and into the right ventricle of my heart. I saw that, too. The aim was to pinch some tissue from inside my heart so that it could be tested for any signs of rejection. The procedure is a bit tedious but, apart from the shot in the neck, not painful. I was fully awake. As my cardiologist dug around in my heart, he asked, “Mr. Street, what are you up to these days?” “Well, in addition to trying to recover, I’ve been getting ready to teach a class,” I replied. He continued to dig. “Oh yeah, what’s it on?” I chuckled (lightly!) and said, “Suffering.” The irony of the moment was not lost on him. He laughed and said, “Well, you have done some graduate work in that, haven’t you?” “Oh yeah, I did all of the field work. Now, I’m doing a lot of reading about it.” The nurse by the monitor said, “Mr. Street. How do you suffer well?” There I was, with a cardiologist digging in my heart for tissue samples, five or six assistants and nurses surrounding me, more machinery than I could take in, and she was ready to explore the depths of suffering. Aware that I was surrounded by a captive and mixed audience who had not signed up for a theological or pastoral discussion, I offered a few observations, and that was that. Looking back, I realized I missed an opportunity. I should have replied, “How do you suffer well? Among other things, you lament.” _____________________________________
WHAT IS LAMENT?
Lament is a form of prayer that seeks to rectify an injustice. While not always the case, lament speaks about a disconnect between the lamenter’s experience and his expectations. The experience often concerns some form of persistent suffering and is seen by the lamenter as something that God should have already addressed.
Lament requires telling the unvarnished truth. It is not a practice marked by flowery speech. It is not an opportunity to offer to God one’s dignity rather than one’s truth. Lament does not try to seduce God or manipulate God. Lament is straight and to the point, if even blunt at times. Even though lament is straightforward truth-telling, it is marked by humility. One does not enter into the presence of God to throw one’s weight around. Rather, one enters into the presence of God to address an injustice completely aware of the One to whom one speaks. While it may appear that lament originates in the suffering of the lamenter, lament originates with God, just as all prayer finds its origin in God. That claim can be justified in several ways, but I will focus on one. The God whom we worship has revealed his character to us both through God’s deeds and God’s words. For example, when Moses asked God to show himself to Moses, God balked. Moses could not look upon the face of God and expect to survive that. God told Moses he would pass by him in a way that would give Moses a glimpse of God without losing Moses in the process. So, God placed Moses in the cleft of a rock, covered him with his hand, and passed by. As he passed, God said, “Yahweh! Yahweh. The compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished . . .” (Exodus 34:6-7) The self-disclosure of God is descriptive. It tells us much about the character of God. However, the self-disclosure of God is not only descriptive, it is prescriptive. In effect, God is saying to Moses (and to anyone who hears or reads this), “This is the kind of God I am; respond to me as this kind of God.” God discloses himself as compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, filled with love, and faithful. He invites us to approach and speak with him because that is the kind of God he is. God is not harmed by our truth-telling. Far from it, he invites it by virtue of being the kind of God to whom it is easy to speak the truth. But notice, God draws a boundary in revealing himself. We don’t get to speak to God in just any way. For all of the love and fidelity and compassion,
God still punishes the wicked. Even in lament, we do not get to dress God down. However, because of that boundary marker, we know how far we can go in truth-telling with God and can express ourselves in myriad ways. _____________________________________
SPEAKING THE TRUTH
The truth we speak to God in lament is the truth of our own experience. It is truth that concerns four areas. We speak the truth to God (1) about God, (2) about ourselves, (3) about the relationship between God and ourselves, and (4) about the condition or circumstance of our suffering. In lament, speaking the truth to God about God is to acknowledge who God is, to recognize God’s self-disclosed character, but also, at least in terms of the lamenter’s experience, to point out that God seems to be failing himself. “You have shown yourself to be this kind of God but, in my experience, you are not being that kind of God.” The tone of it can border on accusation. Second, in lament, we speak the truth about God, but we also expose the truth about ourselves. One cannot come into the presence of God without becoming painfully aware of one’s self. And that’s part of the conflict of lament: on the one hand, I come before God to tell him that, in my experience, God is not acting in accord with his character, but in so doing, I expose myself in this great act of vulnerability, and sometimes, what I expose is not pretty. Third, in lament, we address the relationship between ourselves and God. It isn’t just that God is faithful; it is that God is faithful to us, to me. God is not just God; God is my God, our God. That suggests relationship. God loves me, and because God first loved me, I love God. But, when I am in agony and wonder where God is, I not only imply something about God, but also myself and the relationship (and the expectations that go with relationship), as well. Fourth, in lament, we speak to God about our particular condition or circumstance that causes us anguish. And, as I’ve said before, very often that condition or circumstance, or at least the persistence of it, is experienced as unjust. “God of love, God of faithfulness. You know how great my pain is. You know how much I’ve prayed for relief and for healing but, O God, I may as well be talking SPRIN G 2021 | 27
LAMENT DOES NOT PRETEND THAT ALL IS ALWAYS WELL. IT DOES NOT GLOSS OVER THE HARSH REALITIES OF LIFE. LAMENT TAKES SERIOUSLY GOD’S CLAIMS AS TO HIS CHARACTER AND TO HOW SERIOUSLY GOD TAKES THE RELATIONSHIP HE HAS CREATED WITH US AND ALL OF CREATION.
28 | POINT MAGAZINE
to the ceiling. Why do you seem so indifferent, given your character? Why are you slow to respond, given your faithfulness?” Very often, it is not the fact of suffering, but the persistence of suffering that contributes to our suffering. And, very often, our suffering is compounded by the silence of God. _____________________________________
THE HIDDEN KEY TO LAMENT
Some of what I have written leads some people to object to lament, especially as a Christian practice. Christians are called to rejoice always and to give thanks no matter the circumstance or condition. I whole-heartedly agree. As a matter of fact, lament involves thanksgiving and praise. It is filled with remembrance of God’s faithfulness in the past. It is rooted in our hope for the glorious future, the New Heaven and the New Earth. But lament does not pretend that all is always well. It does not gloss over the harsh realities of life. Lament takes seriously God’s claims as to his character and to how seriously God takes the relationship he has created with us and all of creation. But lament does something else, as well. Lament offers us a place to begin, even if our lives have become as confused as the interior of a tornado. Lament says to us, “You don’t know where to turn right now or what to do. Let me at least offer you some steps to help you find your way back to some semblance of order, of trust.” “Call upon the God you doubt. Acknowledge God’s character, but tell him how lost you are. Tell him that he does not seem himself. Tell him that he is letting you down. Tell him of your anguish. Your hurt. Your anger, but do not sin. Tell him how you are caught between knowing who he is and seeing that he is not being himself. Share your ache. Ask for his help! Ask him for his strength! And, even if your words are as bile on your tongue, give him glory, honor and praise.” Lament reaches out to us in the depths of our despair and invites us to speak with God. It matters not how enraged we may be, how hurt or disappointed we are, how filled with shame or guilt, lament cries out to us: “Come to the God of all comfort and talk it over.” Lament teaches us not to spend too much time anguishing within ourselves or with others as to questions of why God allows the things he does.
Lament teaches us to give up such gossip and just come on over and ask God ourselves. Oh, to be sure, we may not hear from God — or we may. God may remind us, as he reminded Job, that some things in life are simply not for us to know, or that even if he told us, it may not satisfy. He may remind us that the greater part of God is Mystery, but that does not change the reality that God is not All-Mystery. But here’s the other thing: even when we feel that God has abandoned us to the suffering that clings to us like lint, even when the evidence screams that God has turned his back, that God does not care, that God has found more important things to do, lament calls us to speak, to address God. Even if it feels as if we speak into an empty, hollow cavern, it calls us to keep on speaking — even if all we hear is the echo of our own voices mocking us. David questioned God. He all but accused God of abandoning him, of not listening to him, but in spite of that, he could not resist questioning him. You don’t hear me, but that won’t stop me from speaking. Some people deny the very existence of God, but they cannot seem to stop telling him that he does not exist. And, some, who do not believe in God, ask him often to destroy their enemies. Lift up your tortured voices to God. You might see him on a cross and hear him speak: “Tell me about it. No. Really. I mean sit down right there and tell me about it.” Jim Street ’74 is an adjunct instructor in Christian ministries. He is also pastor of the North River Community Church, currently meeting in the wonderful world of Zoom.
SPRIN G 2021 | 29
30 | POINT MAGAZINE
photo courtesy of morgan harper nichols ’10/garden24
Permission TO EX P L O R E > >> < < <
morgan harper nichols ’10 on art, faith and the freedom to create BY SARAH HUXFORD
A
global pandemic. Protests over racial injustice. A struggling economy. A divisive election. It’s no wonder, in these uncertain times, that people are turning to social media for connection and inspiration. And increasingly, people are finding that inspiration in the art and poetry of Morgan Harper Nichols ’10. Nichols, a best-selling author who has collaborated with brands ranging from Target to Coach, shares her work daily on social media, where she has more than 1.6 million followers on Instagram. Through direct messages on Instagram and through her website, Nichols invites readers to tell her their stories. She then translates those stories into personalized poetry and art, which she sends back to the reader before sharing publicly, keeping all names and details private. But in 2006, when she enrolled as a freshman at Point, Nichols never would have guessed this is where her career would take her. A home school graduate who finished high school at 16, Nichols wanted to stay close to home but be able to live on campus. She heard an ad for what was then Atlanta Christian College on Victory 91.5, a local Christian radio station. Her mother (and now manager), Mona Harper, called to arrange a campus visit, and Nichols soon enrolled. As an introvert, Nichols was most looking forward to the academic aspects of college. “So many of the moments I think back on are moments in the classroom,” she says, laughing. “I loved the social aspects of it; I made friends there. At the same time, though, just being an introvert and someone who kind of had some obstacles socially, I was really excited about going deeper and reading more literature and just kind of having the freedom to express my thoughts.” SPRIN G 2021 | 31
>>><<< “That was the first time in my life where I felt like I really initiated things creatively.” >>><<<
A talented musician, Nichols originally planned to major in music. After realizing that what she enjoyed most was discussing and writing about literature, she made the switch to majoring in English. She recalls taking a class on the Inklings with Dr. DJ Dycus, saying, “That freedom to just express myself through words was huge for me, especially coming from having been home schooled.” At one point along the way, Nichols transferred to a larger institution, but quickly transferred back. She missed the small community at Point, and the opportunity to try a wide variety of things. “As I get older, it’s harder to give myself permission to do that,” she says. That freedom to explore extended outside the classroom, too. Nichols remembers working as a referee for intramural volleyball, despite knowing very little about the sport and its rules. She laughs, “I was just, like, who let me do that?! I just loved the permission I had. I’m not that way now; I can tend to be a little more reserved.” “There were a lot of things starting when I was a student,” she says. “If you’re at a larger school, things are maybe more established in a lot of ways, and you just kind of have to pick your thing.” She recalls deciding to start a campus book club to read The Alchemist. Three people showed up, including Prof. Wye Huxford ’73. “It was just four chairs in McKinney’s, but that was enough for me,” she says. “Having been a kid who was more introspective and kept to myself, that was a big deal. And it’s still huge for me today, to start something, to initiate something like that. That was the first time in my life where I felt like I really initiated things creatively, and whether a few people showed up or a lot of people showed up, it was really important for me to learn that.” After graduation, Nichols had a plan: to work as an admission counselor and attend graduate school. Her ultimate goal was to be a creative writing professor, and she felt the pressure common to new graduates: to choose a path and stick with it. So she joined the admission team and enrolled in an M.F.A. program in poetry. Pretty quickly, she realized she had underestimated the time commitment of having a full-time
32 | POINT MAGAZINE
job, going to graduate school, and planning her wedding to her husband, Patrick (’09-’10). She left graduate school after one semester, but continued to work in the Admission Office. “I love educating and helping people find knowledge and acquire knowledge,” she says. “Just being able to help students navigate that period of their lives – it was really special to me.” She continues to keep in touch with some of the students she worked with as they enrolled at Point. Nichols still knew she wanted to pursue a career having something to do with writing, but she wasn’t sure what that would be. In the meantime, her younger sister, Jamie Grace ’12 had begun gaining traction in her career as a Christian singer-songwriter. “The next best thing that ended up being in front of me was that through her, I learned about songwriting publishing,” Nichols says. “I didn’t even know that existed.” Getting paid to write songs seemed like a dream job to Nichols, but she soon learned how challenging it could be to build a career in the industry. “If you’re a songwriter that no one’s ever heard of before, it doesn’t exactly pay all the bills right away, so you have to get creative about other ways to pad that job,” she says. Nichols hit the road with her sister, performing music full time. The sisters performed independently, as well as together as duo Harper Still – sometimes combining all three acts in the same show. Performing and touring wasn’t Nichols’s favorite way to make a living, but it did allow her to have some extra time to focus exclusively on songwriting. “It’s no secret to anybody that a career in music is not the most sustainable financially,” Nichols explains. “It’s very challenging in the arts in general for anybody, myself included, to sustain a career.” “I was very torn, because I was in a place where I was on the road all the time, I was in Nashville, I was doing all these things to try to create something sustainable for a music career, and I was so exhausted doing it,” she says. “However, I was also broke, and I was like, I can be tired or broke, but tired and broke, that’s a different thing. Something’s got to give.” By this point, the Nicholses were in their mid20s. Patrick had also gotten into the music industry, working as a tour manager and doing merchandise. Both were wondering if the struggle to make a living was going to last forever. Nichols says, “You
SPRIN G 2021 | 33
artwork by morgan harper nichols ’10
>>><<< what she’s reading To Bless the Space Between Us, by John O’Donoghue
what she’s listening to Podcasts Creative Pep Talk and Unlocking Us, with Brené Brown
what she’s watching The Queen’s Gambit, Netflix
34 | POINT MAGAZINE
pushing her not to give up – to share that poem somewhere. She ended up sharing it on Pinterest and promptly forgot about it. A couple of months later, in January 2017, friends started messaging Nichols to tell her about actors and athletes who were sharing that poem – her poem – all over Instagram. Knowing she had only shared it on Pinterest, Nichols quickly went back to check the pin. The poem had been repinned more than 100,000 times. “It felt like something had happened, but I didn’t really know what to do with it,” she says. “It was just like, you know, things go viral on the internet all the time; this is just a one-time thing.” But it wasn’t just a one-time thing. Pretty soon, people starting direct messaging Nichols on Instagram to tell her how deeply the poem had affected them. Many of the messages were from younger women – high school and college students who’d been through significant trauma in their lives. “That was just such a humbling experience,” she says. “How on earth could something that I wrote about a career failure, or feeling like a failure in my
photo courtesy of morgan harper nichols ’10/garden24
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< know you have to pay your dues, but it’s like, okay, when do the dues get paid?” As the performing side of her music career began to slow, Nichols was doing more and more freelancing work, such as singing background vocals and designing band T-shirts. But she really wanted to get back to writing and making art, and she began to question whether she could even have a creative career. In November 2016, Nichols was feeling like she needed to give up. “I literally just felt the weight of the world even in my personal life – you know, globally and in the country, I just felt all that tension, all that stress, and just feeling like a failure,” she says. So she wrote a poem about it. “I actually wrote a poem about giving up on creativity – that’s so Morgan, of course that’s what I did,” she laughs. After writing the poem, Nichols used her phone to take a photo of it. At the time, she says, her poetry typically just stayed in her journal; she didn’t share it on social media. She felt hesitant to share the poem on Instagram for friends to see. Sitting at home in the midst of a hailstorm, Nichols felt God
>>><<<
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
mid-20s – you know, kind of like a typical story – the time, hoping enough people would buy them to tide the family over until the commission check how on earth could something I wrote about that end up meeting somebody in a place where they’ve came in. “I’ll never forget, it was a Sunday morning, and been through something far more severe than I’ve I sent it right before we went to church,” she says. ever been through?” “Before we could even get into the church, our Shortly after the poem went viral, someone phones started going off. We had sold out of every reached out to commission her to create note cards single one from the mailing list alone.” for the participants in a girls’ retreat. Soon after Patrick quickly figured out how to purchase that, someone asked her to write a poem to hang in more books at wholesale, and Nichols posted their new baby’s nursery, and her career built from about them on Instagram. They sold out again, there. She began to gain confidence in sharing and then again. more of her work as people continued to send her “Of course, if you’re an artist or you make sometheir stories. thing, have an online shop,” Nichols says. “It seems Nichols recalls a moment from her freshman so obvious now.” year of college, when she says she looked fine on “I think a lot of creatives deal with this – bethe outside, but felt socially awkward and uncause we’re creative, we can overcomplicate comfortable on the inside. She would spend time things, like, I’ve got to build this thing somehow, sitting on her dorm room bed and staring at the and yeah, okay, do that, but there’s also a practiblank wall. Today, when she receives messages cality, something practical that can help sustain from women around that age, she goes back to you and have cash flow. I learned about that that moment to imagine what words she would’ve word,” she laughs. needed to see on that wall. As they counted down the weeks to the birth of Some of the stories she receives stick with her their son, Jacob, Patrick suggested taking some of long after she has created and shared the accomNichols’s art from Instagram and turning it into art panying artwork, especially those from young prints. Nichols was originally resistant to the idea, people in times of transition. “They don’t feel like but she eventually came around. Those sold out, they have that permission to really express what too. Next, someone asked if they offered stickers, they’re going through,” she says. “I think a lot of so they sold those as well. The growing online people, even people who have really been through shop freed Patrick up to join the business full time. intense things, think that their stories aren’t valid Publisher Zondervan also found Nichols’s art or they’re not worth being reflected in some way. on Instagram, and they reached out to her about If I receive a message from someone that says, creating a book of art and poetry. All Along You you’ve probably received a million stories like this, Were Blooming: Thoughts for Boundless Living was or you’ll probably never click on this, I’m like, well here I am, I’ve clicked on it, and I wanted to click on it because you said that.” Nichols’s social media following continued to grow, but Instagram likes don’t pay the bills. She was juggling freelance projects, and so was Patrick; Support Point by ordering an 8” x 10” limited-edition print featuring everything felt chaotic. Nichols’s rendering of the Lanier Near the beginning of 2019, Nichols was comAcademic Center! The artwork is missioned for her biggest collaboration ever. After featured on the cover of this issue; completing the project, however, she and Patrick prints will not include the magazine realized that she wouldn’t be paid for nearly three headlines. Prints are available for months. A surprise pregnancy around the same $25, now through April 30. Order time added to the pressure. yours today at: Nichols went into the closet in her apartment and pulled out some self-published books she’d sold on Amazon a few years prior. She sent an email to her mailing list, which was fairly small at
limited-edition print
point.edu/mhn
SPRIN G 2021 | 35
>>><<<
find her books and art:
>>><<<
36 | POINT M AGAZINE
Much of Nichols’s work centers around giving ourselves permission – to explore, to be seen, to feel. She says the roots of that sensibility, both as an artist and as a Christian, began during her college days. “I always felt permission and felt free to ask questions,” she explains. “I never felt like, okay, here’s what you need to believe. It’s – let’s go on this journey together, and let’s look at all of this, and then let’s talk about it. I can see threads of that in where I am today.” During the 2008 presidential election season, Nichols was a sophomore. She remembers gathering in McKinney’s Coffeehouse for a series of discussions on important election issues. Dr. Kim Macenczak (’80-’82) even asked her to moderate one of them. Those times of sharing ideas on campus seem invaluable to Nichols now. “Yes, there was tension; yes, there was awkwardness; no, everyone was not on the same page,” she says. “But this is us being humans together; this is being the church together; this is what it’s supposed to be about, and I think that gets harder to find, the older you get.” “I still think back on that moment, and I know we’re in a pandemic right now, but I wish we could have more moments like that. Not that we’re going to be able to sort everything out in that hour of being gathered, but I do think that there is something about just being able to sit with one another and have civil conversations,” she adds. “And whether we walk away with answers or not, at the end of the day, we’re all human here, we are all working through this, it’s messy and it’s awkward, it has to happen, and we’re all going to walk away stronger. Now that I’ve graduated, I can see, you know, all these years later, that that was rare. You don’t get to do that a lot. You don’t get to sit around with peers who come from other walks of life and have conversations about these things. Now it happens on Twitter and Instagram comments, and I’m not sure that’s the best way. It comes out differently face to face.” College students today have the benefit of being in communities where these conversations can happen more naturally, Nichols says, but we can all create space for that in our lives. And when has it ever felt more important than now? As Nichols says, “Let this be the season that you just feel the permission to try new things.”
zondervan
released in January 2020 and became a Wall Street Journal bestseller. Another book of art, essays and poetry, How Far You Have Come, releases on March 30. “I felt like my poetry wasn’t on par with the poets that I loved, so that was an internal struggle the entire process of working on the book, and even working on future books,” Nichols says. morganharpernichols.com or on social Even now, moments media @morganharpernichols like singing on stage with her favorite band, Switchfoot, or learning that celebrities such as Reese Witherspoon have shared her work on their social media, seem surreal to Nichols. She recalls going to follow singer-songwriter India.Arie on Instagram, only to realize Arie already followed her. Nichols mentioned one of Arie’s songs on her Instagram stories, and the singer responded to tell Nichols how much she loves her work. “I really am a firm believer, especially with women, that we pave the way for each other,” Nichols says. “And even though what I do is different than what India.Arie does, she paved the way for me and my sister to be able to do what we do, as a Black woman with a guitar.” “As I’ve had these moments with people that I’ve looked up to, or people that I just know have paved the way for me in some way, it’s so interesting, because if I had tried to manufacture my way to that, I never would have arrived there,” Nichols adds. “And I have to remind myself of that now. Sometimes I try to plan things too much, and it’s like, no, just let it go and stay faithful to the work, and we’ll see where it goes.” Today, Nichols and her family have relocated from Southern California to Phoenix, where they’re better able to run their online shop during the pandemic. She is focused on her art, though she and Jamie Grace do still write and perform music as Harper Still. “It’s still a lot of fun, and that is what bonds us as sisters, that we have that common thread,” she says.
SPRIN G 2021 | 37
photo courtesy of morgan harper nichols ’10/garden24
POINT LEGACY Cliff ’16, ’21 and Donna Rash ’16 with two of their children, Joshua ’23 and Roshanna ’23
Looking for news about your classmates? Visit us at point.edu/alumni to sign up for our monthly e-newsletter. Want to share your Point Legacy story? Email editor@point.edu.
38 | POINT M AGAZINE
the advantages of a smaller school over a larger one. Josh, an exercise science major who plays on the men’s soccer team, says being a student-athlete has been the best part of his Point experience so far. “Point is preparing me for life by introducing me to different people,” he says. “On my team, I have teammates from across the world. With these interactions, I get experience with dealing with people from different backgrounds and nationalities.” Of course, the pandemic has meant that Josh and Roshanna’s classes at Point have been different than their parents’ thus far. Cliff and Donna had more face-to-face instruction, while Josh and
Roshanna are also experiencing virtual learning and social distancing. “I have definitely gotten better at communicating with other students and professors both in person and online, and that is something that I am glad I was able to learn at Point,” Roshanna says. Cliff and Donna are thrilled that their children chose to attend their alma mater. “We believe in Point’s values, and our children love the atmosphere,” Cliff says. “And we have a good idea of the quality of the education they are receiving.” The best part of her children attending Point, Donna says, is knowing that the family will be alumni together. “And of course,” she adds, “all the new gear!”
photo courtesy of the rash family
W
hen Cliff and Donna Rash enrolled in Point’s adult degree program in Savannah, they had no way of knowing how that decision would impact their entire family. “Cliff and I always wanted to get a degree in Christian ministries together,” says Donna. “Point was the one we believe God prepared our hearts for.” “I always wanted to get a college degree, and I had a love for Scripture,” Cliff adds. “Point allowed me to get a biblical college degree, which was an answer to my prayers. It allowed me to study Scripture with other students that had a heart for God.” The Rashes graduated together in December 2016 with bachelor’s degrees in Christian ministries. Cliff, a military veteran, says his time at Point prepared him for the next stage of life in ministry. He is currently pursuing his master’s degree at Point, and he was recently hired as outreach and care pastor at Compassion Christian Church’s Henderson campus. The Rashes have an older daughter who attended college before they knew about Point, but they enrolled their younger children, Josh and Roshanna, in dual-credit enrollment classes in Savannah as high schoolers. They hoped the two would choose Point when they graduated from high school, but ultimately left the decision up to their kids. Neither Josh nor Roshanna originally planned to attend Point. Both were interested in attending Georgia Southern instead — a much larger school, and closer to home. But the family took a tour of Point’s main campus in May 2019, and that changed everything. “It was during the tour that I realized that Point was the school for me, and I am so glad that I chose to come to this school,” says Roshanna, an accounting major. She adds that the experience of dual-credit enrollment helped her see
“I give to Point University because it’s local, and because of the outstanding fine arts department and the wonderful faculty like Dr. Katie Cartwright.” —BILL OWENS, POINT DONOR AND PIANO STUDENT OF DR. CARTWRIGHT
This Women’s History Month, celebrate a woman you admire by giving a gift to Point in her honor! March is dedicated to honoring women’s contributions to our culture, society and history. Point University has been blessed to have many influential women among our faculty, staff, trustees, alumni and students — including Dr. Katie Cartwright, who is retiring this year after several decades as a music professor. This month, we want to highlight their leadership and impact on our lives. Help us celebrate Women’s History Month with a gift to honor a special woman in your life! Want to share your reason for giving with your family and friends? Post about your honoree on social media, and tag Point using #PointCelebratesWomen.
point.edu/give
Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage PAID LaGrange, GA Permit No. 343
507 WEST 10TH STREET | WEST POINT, GA 31833
LIFE KEEPS MOVING FORWARD. SO SHOULD YOUR EDUCATION. Point offers graduate degrees in business and ministry, as well as a range of certificates to meet the needs of today’s professionals. Find out more at online.point.edu.
ONLINE MASTER’S DEGREES in business
administration and transformative ministry
ONLINE CERTIFICATES in social media marketing, Lean Six Sigma Green and Black Belts, and more
online.point.edu
