Stories of alumni and faculty honoring Christ in the STEM fields.
Fall sports are in full swing, and winter is right around the corner. Here’s what you need to know.
The Master’s University Magazine Pray for Natalie Alumni Curtis and Deann Lewis have faithfully represented Christ in the midst of a heartbreaking trial.NORTH CAMPUS LAWN NOW FEATURES A WALKWAY THROUGH THE CENTER OF THE GRASS, ALLOWING FOR A BETTER FLOW OF TRAFFIC AND A MORE BEAUTIFUL ENTRANCE TO THE ACADEMIC CENTER OF THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY. READ MORE ABOUT RECENT CAMPUS UPGRADES IN THE “TMU TODAY” SECTION OF THE MAGAZINE.
PHOTO BY EZRA MOORE
Culture tends to look at science as the only reliable way to know something. But as believers, what place should science have in our worldview? And what does it look like to teach and practice science in a way that honors Christ?
Nicole Nitake went on to earn a doctorate and begin work as a pharmacist. But she says her time at TMU changed the way she views science — and more importantly the way she views Christ.
Since coming to Christ, Caltech grad Joey Kim hopes to equip STEM students for excellence on the job and in their witness to the world.
The Master’s
You
four
subscribe to the
at masters.edu/magazine.
More than one Mustang team will be looking to repeat as Golden State Athletic Conference champions in the near future. As fall sports head into GSAC competition and winter teams prepare to start the year, here’s a look at each squad’s top returning players, newcomers and outlook.
TMU Women’s Soccer Coach Curtis Lewis and his wife Deann have faithfully represented Christ and sacrificially served their daughter Natalie during a heartbreaking trial. Now, Natalie is making a remarkable recovery.
If you’re looking for The Mustang Connection, you’ve come to the right place.
Over the summer, we rebranded our alumni publication as The Master’s University Magazine. We also transitioned to a quarterly model, which explains why you haven’t received it the past few months.
If you previously subscribed to The Mustang Connection, no further action is necessary. You’ll receive The Master’s University Magazine by email four times each year. (If you haven’t subscribed, you can do so at masters.edu/magazine.) We’ll release new editions in the fall, winter, spring and summer.
The revised timeline allows us to be more strategic in the content we provide — resulting, we believe, in a more valuable final product.
Here’s what hasn’t changed: Our commitment to serving you by providing content we pray you’ll find encouraging, refreshing and enriching.
We’ll continue to highlight alumni who demonstrate faithfulness to Christ in the workplace, the church and the home.
We’ll continue to publish articles by members of our distinguished faculty. These are designed to inspire deep and practical thinking about important topics (like Dr. Ross Anderson’s portrait this month of what it means to practice Christ–honoring science).
Lastly, we’ll also keep you up-to-date on everything that’s happening around here, from academics and athletics, to music and theater. This is an incredibly special time in the history of the University, and we want you to join us in enjoying everything the Lord is doing.
If we can better serve you in any way, please reach out at mnesbitt@masters.edu or alumni@ masters.edu.
Thanks for reading, Mason Nesbitt EDITOR, THE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE FROM THE EDITOR
Homecoming in 1989 included a group photo on Reese Field. Everybody, wave!
PHOTO BY
Program is designed to equip men and women who can then train others effectively.
The Master’s University is launching its first-ever doctoral program this fall – a Doctor of Ministry in Biblical Counseling.
This program is built on the foundation of TMU’s Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling (MABC), which has graduated hundreds of students and served as a template for the creation of similar programs at other Christian institutions.
be ACBC (Association of Certified Biblical Counselors) fellows.”
Being an ACBC fellow is different from being an ACBC counselor. The latter certifies someone as qualified to counsel. The former certifies someone as qualified to be a trainer of counselors. By the end, graduates of TMU’s new doctoral program will be thoroughly equipped to teach in either an academic or church setting.
BY KAELYN PEAYIn contrast to the MABC program, which is designed to equip excellent counselors, the goal of the doctorate program is to train men and women who can then turn around and train others effectively.
Says Dr. John Street, chair of the MABC, “That’s why we’ll be one of the only – or perhaps the only – doctoral programs in the world that qualifies all of its graduates to
Street is committed to training counselors who “trust the Word of God with the serious emotional and spiritual problems of life,” can counsel others within that framework and can teach others to counsel in the same way. This is why the D.Min. program is designed to have a heavy emphasis on hermeneutics.
“Ultimately, hermeneutics is where
ACADEMICSthe game is played, so to speak,” Street says. “If you’re not rightly interpreting and applying the Word of God, you’re not doing real biblical counseling. ”
The program is designed around four 10-day modules of intensive oncampus learning, with the first-ever cohort arriving in early December of this year. The program’s faculty will include Street, Dr. Stuart Scott, Dr. Keith Palmer and Dr. Abner Chou, among others.
“Adding that first terminal degree to the University is a significant step,” says Dr. Mitch Hopewell, TMU’s provost and chief academic officer. “It opens the door to adding more terminal degrees. This is blazing new trails for the school and I’m very thankful to the graduate biblical counseling department staff for their dedication and hard work to see this program launch.”
Kingsley is a graduate of TMU and The Master’s Seminary and now teaches in TMU’s School of Biblical Studies. He joined TMU as an adjunct Bible professor in 2018 while pastoring at Faith Community Church in Santa Clarita, California. Jared has taught Hebrew, Greek, and Old Testament survey and was selected to work on the Legacy Standard Bible project. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in theology.
Kingsley says, “When I was a student, I immediately fell in love with TMU. And I found out quickly that there’s no other university like The Master’s University. I had set my heart on training the next generation for Christ and Scripture 13 years ago, and coming back now as a professor is the joy of a lifetime.”
familiar face to anyone who has participated in TMU’s MABC program.
From July 11 to July 22 our graduate biblical counseling department offered its annual Summer Intensive Program (SIP). This program provides condensed lectures in a synchronous format to Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling students, allowing them to attend lectures in person and complete up to four classes’ worth of lectures in two weeks. Dr. John Street, Dr. Stuart Scott and Daniel Gloster covered such topics as hermeneutics, essential qualities of the biblical counselor and methods of biblical change.
Around 60 students attended, most of whom stayed on campus. Street reported during the program that “it has been one of the best years in the program’s 26-year history of having an excited group of graduate students on the TMU campus.”
Prof. Jared Kingsley previously worked as an adjunct professor at TMU. The Master’s University recently welcomed Prof. Jared Kingsley to full-time faculty status. PHOTO BY RYAN MILLER
BY KAELYN PEAY
This fall, The Master’s University is launching a new agribusiness emphasis. This program will provide an opportunity for TMU’s business administration majors who desire a career in the vital agriculture industry.
Dr. John Beck, dean of the School of Business and Communication, took point in designing the program.
“The emphasis consists of five core classes,” Beck says, “and those cover areas like agricultural management and marketing. We also cover agricultural economics and government policy.”
Because the program is designed as an emphasis within TMU’s existing business administration program, it will equip flexible graduates who have a strong education in general business administration as well as particular knowledge and network connections in the agriculture industry.
Dr. Mitch Hopewell, TMU’s provost and chief academic officer, is particularly excited about the program’s field study component.
“Our students will travel around California and go to Christian-owned
agricultural operations,” Hopewell says. “They’re going to be able to see large and small-scale agricultural operations owned and led by believers who model what it means to put Christ first in all things."
TMU was motivated to add this emphasis by a constituency that is already actively involved in the agriculture sector.
“When it comes to serving our students, we want to add degrees not for the sake of academic prestige or chasing the latest trend, but for the sake of serving our students and preparing them for a lifetime of faithfulness to Christ in specific areas,” Hopewell says.
“There are a lot of Christian families in agriculture. These people want to send their kids for an education that will help them contribute to the family business in meaningful ways, but they don’t want to send them away to a secular
school that’s going to dismantle their belief system, or to a school that might confuse their beliefs and convictions rather than clarifying and deepening them. We felt that adding an emphasis to our already very strong core business program would allow us to serve a group of students and families with an education that would help them in their personal and professional goals.”
On top of that, the agricultural industry is a huge area of business in TMU’s own backyard.
“Agriculture is a particularly important industry for the state of California,” Beck says. “Just take the almond production here. We produce 80% of the world’s almonds. So it’s not small business in California. And between donor interest and interactions with students who come from an agricultural background, we saw this as an important way that we could equip Kingdom ambassadors.”
This concert series looks to examine familiar works of chamber music through new lenses, marrying the best works of western art music with innovative interpretations. Experience breathtaking music set to immersive visuals that bring the music to life. Learn more at masters.edu/music
19
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS TO TMU ONLINE FALL SESSION #2
TMU Online runs six sessions throughout the year.
If you’re interested in the session running from Oct. 24 to Dec. 18, the deadline for applications is Oct. 19. Learn more at online.masters.edu
21-22 | 28-29
Come see Agatha Christie’s world famous play. Celebrating its 70th anniversary, “The Mousetrap” is the longest running play in the world, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to bring it to our stage this fall. Learn more at masters.edu/theatre
27-28
THE U
This is a two-day event for prospective students and families, offering an unforgettable opportunity for students to become a Mustang for a few days. Overnight accommodation is provided for prospective students from Thursday night to Friday. Learn more at masters.edu/visit
29
Join us for an innovative day exploring technology from the standpoint of biblical theology during this year’s conference, TheoTech 2022: Inerrancy, Electricity and Divine Power. Learn more and register at masters.edu/theotech
We offer career fairs in the fall and spring to give TMU students and business partners an excellent opportunity to connect with each other. Learn more and get in touch with our Career Center at masters.edu/careerservices
The TMU orchestra will be performing “The New World Symphony” by Dvorak, Alberto Ginastera's “Estancia,” and other amazing works. Do not miss out on a fabulous concert and the opportunity to see our talented students perform. Learn more at masters.edu/music
The Mustang basketball teams will host Westmont College inside The MacArthur Center, with the women’s game starting at 5:30 and the men’s game at 7:30. For the complete athletics schedule, visit gomustangs.com
2-3
COME CHRISTMAS SING!
Join us for a wonderful experience in celebrating the Savior’s birth during our 38th annual Come Christmas Sing! concert series. Learn more at masters.edu/christmas
This event will showcase the ways in which media can be harnessed for the glory of Christ. The conference will include a student film festival and panel discussions with TMU President Abner Chou, Jubilant Sykes, Grant Fonda, John Sullivan, and Darrell Harrison, along with members of TMU’s faculty. Learn more at masters.edu/muse
Prospective students of TMU’s School of Music are invited to visit during Prelude. Students stay overnight in the dorms, attend classes and chapel, participate in rehearsals, experience performances, meet members of the School of Music and audition for admittance and scholarships. Learn more at masters.edu/prelude
For prospective students and families, this is a great opportunity to get a snapshot of what TMU is all about. Visit classes, take a campus tour, attend chapel, learn about financial aid opportunities, meet TMU students and get all of your questions answered. Learn more at masters.edu/visit
11
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS TO TMU ONLINE SPRING SESSION #1
TMU Online runs six sessions throughout the year. If you’re interested in the session running from Jan. 16 to March 12, the deadline for applications is Jan. 11. Learn more at online.masters.edu
The Truth & Life Conference takes place every January. TMU students, faculty, staff and alumni join for a themed event with teaching, fellowship and worship. Learn more at masters.edu/truth-and-life
WINTER 5K
Since 2011, this event has been a favorite among local runners thanks to the welcoming atmosphere, scenic course and community partnerships. Come experience what local runners have called their “favorite way to start off the new year.” Learn more at gomustangs.com/winter-5k
Giving Tuesday has become one of the most strategic opportunities for those who prioritize biblical education to partner with TMU for the exaltation of Christ in the lives of our students. Learn more at masters.edu/giving-tuesday
TMU M&W BASKETBALL VS. WESTMONTFirst-year AD talks about his time as a Mustang, his years in the Minor Leagues, and his family.
Did you meet your wife, Danielle (Vosmeier), at Master’s?
I did. I was a sophomore and she was a junior. Her roommate set us up on a blind date, where we went miniature golfing and then watched “E.T.”
What is your favorite memory of playing baseball at Master’s?
My teammates. Four of the five guys in my wedding were baseball guys from here. I met some of my best friends, and we're still really good friends to this day.
What was it like to be selected in the seventh round of the 1994 MLB Draft?
We were married at the time already and we just waited by the phone. It was cool to get the call from the Mariners. You work hard most of your teenage years and what seems like a lifetime of working hard, and then you get a call solidifying that work.
You played four seasons in the minor leagues. What challenges did that present?
You're already newly married and trying to figure all that out and now you're moving all over the country. All the time. We moved 19 times in the first seven years of our marriage. I think Master’s prepared us really well for our Christian walk, but I don’t think you can be fully prepared for what you face in that world. We grew closer together through it and through all the moves. We made it humorous and packed very lightly.
What was the deciding factor in retiring in 1998?
When I got released by the Cubs, we were pregnant with our oldest. I had a chance to keep playing, but Danielle and I realized that it was time that I stopped. She had been traveling with me, allowing me to chase my dream, and now it was time for the sake of the family to get a job and find out what God had for us next.
What’s something you learned in your 23 years working with the sports ministry Athletes in Action?
That most athletes struggle with their identity being in sport. I try to ask athletes, “How are you doing?” Not, “How is your swing feeling?” The sports side of things is important, and that all comes. But to ask them on a deeper level, “How are you doing with your walk with the Lord?” It erases the identity factor, reinforces that they belong to God, and shows that I care how that relationship is going.
Chris Beck, center, with wife Danielle and son Ty. For the past 24 years, Chris helped coach the Athletes in Action team in Alaska’s summer baseball league.Rose to the role of executive director of teams in 23 years with Athletes in Action.
1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.”
You and your wife have three sons. What’s the best part of being a dad?
Enjoying every stage they're in and watching them grow up and make their own choices. Seeing them make choices that honor the Lord is truly a blessing.
Is there anything else the TMU community should know about you?
When Danielle and I do something in ministry, it’s a partnership. I know this is my job, but her heart's desire is to meet with and invest in ladies as well. We view coming back to the school as a ministry that we’re both committed to.
SHORT READING LIST ON
More Than That: Biblical Principles for Dealing with Athletic Injuries by Mike Buchanan
Mike explores the why behind injuries from a biblical perspective. Injuries are not just an accident or random occurrence; they fit squarely into God’s plan for our lives. We learn from this book that God is far more interested in our sanctification than our comfort.
Fit For the King: Your Health and God's Purpose For Your Life by David A Bush and Joe Tewell
Bush and Tewell challenge our everyday choices on nutrition and fitness. Their perspective, however, is not just personal. They also look at the role of the church in our pursuit of wise stewardship of our bodies.
Place of Healing: Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering, Pain, and God's Sovereignty by Joni Eareckson Tada
The title says it all. How can a loving God allow someone to experience excruciating, chronic pain each day? Joni again challenges us to see God’s perfect plan for our lives from her personal, daily experiences with pain and suffering. Through the text we learn how a Christfollower can actually experience joy in the midst of difficulty.
COMPOSED BY DAVID LARSEN Chair, Department of Kinesiology
Standout pitcher at TMU
Drafted in the seventh
Played four Minor League seasons.
OUTSIDE THE CANYON
Over the summer, Dr. Matthew McLain led a group of nearly 30 people on a multi-day trip to the Grand Canyon. McLain, a professor of biology and geology at The Master’s University, taught through the competing old-Earth and young-Earth explanations of Earth’s origins, giving participants a biblical framework for understanding the rock layers at the Grand Canyon.
“Dr. McLain is really gifted at speaking in a way that non-science majors understand,” says TMU Events Manager Shayna Anderson, who helped organize and participated in the trip. “The feedback from everyone who went was that they loved it and would love to do something like this again.”
The group consisted of families and individuals — both from California and from as far away as Florida. But they were all united by their interest in learning geology from a young-Earth creationist perspective and from an expert in the field.
Kinesiology is what I enrolled in for undergrad. Biomechanics is what pulled at my heart. This book helped set the trajectory for my future studies. Even now it’s what I love. So much of what we do, whether it’s prosthetics, orthotics or rehab, is all based on biomechanics. It all comes back to that and God’s design of the body.
This picture of a lamb was painted by my niece when she was 10. I grew up on a farm in Canada, so I love having a sweet remembrance of those days. It also reminds me that I am a sheep who is shepherded by the Lord, and I’m also responsible to shepherd others as best I can. I also have a painting from a student that shows Africa (where he is from) that reminds me how far-reaching TMU’s mission is.
The significance of the pottery is that my husband put it in my office because he wants to go to Israel and I hate flying. It’s subliminal messaging.
I love my family. This picture shows me with my husband, Warren, and our three sons, Jacob, David and Michael. Our dog is Thunder, a mini labradoodle.
These are my crutches from when I injured myself reliving my glory days on the track by trying to hurdle again. That was last Christmas.
I suffered a bone fracture and partially tore my ACL. I needed the crutches for 12 weeks.
The Master’s University is excited to host TheoTech 2022: Inerrancy, Electricity and Divine Power. The school’s second annual conference exploring technology from the standpoint of biblical theology is coming up on Saturday, October 29.
This year’s topic is electricity –how it makes people and planets function, how we utilize it in modern technology and the place it has held in biblical and mythological imagination. The one-day conference will be packed full of panel discussions and presentations by speakers such as Dr. John MacArthur, Dr. Grant Horner and Dr. Jason Lisle.
Prof. David Crater, chair of the engineering and computer science department, is enthusiastic about this year’s theme.
“Electricity is an issue that has been huge from a technological standpoint over the last 150 years – from power grids to electric cars to cellphones,” Crater says. “And we have computer chips and artificial intelligence that are driven by the control of small electrical signals. But interestingly, electricity is also something that the Bible talks a lot about. So we think this conference is going to be really original, and also really powerful, for everyone who is there.”
The overarching goal of TheoTech is to encourage mature theological reflection on the technology we interact with every day.
“Technology is everywhere, but we never really talk about it theologically,” Crater says. “The Lord obviously intended that we be able to build these things, so maybe there’s deeper significance that we need to talk about. And what we’re trying to do with this conference is ask, ‘Where did all of this come from, and what does it mean?’”
The conference is designed for anyone with an interest in learning about technology from a biblical worldview – whether they’re professionals, academics or laypeople.
Prospective students and families who plan on attending TheoTech are also invited to register for View The U at masters.edu/visit (Oct. 27-28) and attend Grace Community Church on Oct. 30.
More information and tickets are available at masters.edu/theotech
ON CAMPUS JOHN Dr. Grant Horner Dr. Joey Kim Dr. John MacArthur Dr. Joe FrancisTMU students recently traveled across the world as part of Global Outreach teams, serving alongside missionary families in various contexts.
|
Team Canada partnered with Paul and Lynn Hanthorn in Fort McPherson, Canada, up in the Arctic Circle. They went with the intention to encourage the church, perform kids outreach events and serve at a summer camp for kids. They had many opportunities to teach and love on the native people in this area. They were a great encouragement to the Hanthorn’s and their ministry.
Team Madagascar served alongside the Ravoahangy family, their church and 3M ministries. They had the opportunity to backpack into a remote village and share the love of Christ, and they helped to lead a VBS and youth camp while also serving at a few other conferences.
Team Togo served at Hospital of Hope in Mango, Togo. They worked alongside the medical missionaries in the hospital, serving in different units and helping patients with diverse needs. They also sought to encourage the long-term missionary families with practical help, such as childcare.
Team England served alongside Matt and Kimberly Davis and their Reach Global Team. They also helped put on camps for kids as outreach opportunities and served local churches throughout London by evangelizing, doing projects and spending time encouraging church leaders.
Dr. Ruta Bloomfield (music) was recently elected president of the Historical Keyboard Society of North America, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and performance of early keyboard instruments and the music written for them. At their annual conference in June at the Catskill Mountain Foundation of the Arts in Hunter, New York, she performed a session recital of 14 preludes and fugues by Johann Casper Fischer. She also contributed a prelude and fugue during a marathon concert of J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I.
Dr. William Varner (biblical studies) has three new books in process with publishers. He also has an article titled "The Messiah in Josephus" in the fall issue of Ariel Magazine. And he is beginning a ministry as Bible teacher of the "Bereans" at Grace Baptist Church in Santa Clarita.
This summer, Dr. John Street (biblical counseling) wrote a chapter for the upcoming book “Right Thinking for a Culture in Chaos.” Street’s topic was on “Gender Crisis: Gender Confusion and the Gospel of Christ.” The book is scheduled to be published by Harvest House in 2023.
In October 2022, Dr. Shelbi Cullen (biblical counseling) will be one of more than 40 speakers for the annual biblical counseling conference hosted by the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) in Memphis, Tennessee. Cullen will be teaching on “Postpartum Depression: When Despair Lingers and Takes Root.” This workshop is designed for biblical counselors in hope that it will equip them to (1) communicate hope, (2) cultivate involvement and (3) counsel God’s sufficient Word to those suffering with postpartum depression. The theme for this year’s conference is “In His Image: Recovering Human Dignity.”
Prof. David Crater (engineering and computer science) will be a keynote speaker at the national Romanian AI Days conference in Oradea, Romania, on Oct. 12-13. This is a nationwide annual conference on artificial intelligence held by the Romanian professional AI community. Crater will be speaking on the latest Google technologies for natural language processing and machine translation.
On July 6, Prof. John Black (IBEX) spoke at a one-day seminar for Israel licensed tour guides. The seminar helps Israel tour guides renew their guide licenses. The theme of this seminar was “Issues in Biblical Studies: Tools for Guiding Evangelicals.” Black’s lecture focused on the importance of the geography of the Land of Israel and introducing a regional approach to understanding the story of the Bible. He illustrated the regional approach with three geographically significant events from the life of Jesus: His baptism, His temptation and His visit to Jacob’s Well.
The school also completed North Campus Plaza, which includes a lighted seating area and cafe.
Over the years, The Master’s University’s business department has earned a sterling reputation.
This summer, the school equipped the Business Center with a grand entrance that represents the excellence that takes place within.
“We want to make a strong first impression when people look at our Business Center,” said Todd Kostjuk, TMU’s Vice President of Administration and CFO. “This is a place of serious academics, and we want students to understand that there are high expectations here and that they will be encouraged and challenged to give their best.”
The project involved upgrading the exterior facade of the Business Center, constructing a two-story grand entrance with a second-story patio and shade structure.
numerous projects that took place across TMU’s campus this summer.
The school also completed the North Campus Plaza, which includes a lighted seating area, a garden and a small shop on the corner of the English and History Center that sells coffee and snacks.
“We have beautiful real estate out there, so we wanted to create a student space where they can hang out, have conversations and do their work,” Kostjuk said. The space features new tables and chairs and a garden designed by English professors Grant Horner and Esther Chua.
BY MASON NESBITTThe construction was a highlight of
Close by, TMU updated the English and History Center’s largest classroom, EHC 100, providing the space with new carpet, paint and lighting so that it matches the design of other recently renovated classrooms.
ON CAMPUS An artist’s rendering of the Business Center’s new grand entrance. The project was scheduled for completion near the end of September, after the deadline for TMU’s fall magazine.Elsewhere, TMU renovated its lower cafeteria, The Trough, creating additional seating and enhancing the flow of traffic as students stop by for sandwiches, snacks and drinks.
TMU also upgraded off-campus apartment units at Oak Manor, installing new flooring and lighting in the units and smooth-coating the ceilings. A number of kitchens and bathrooms were also updated.
Earlier work around campus included renovations of the pool and of North Campus Lawn, where TMU constructed a broad walkway through the center of the grass to flow traffic better and to beautify the entrance to the campus’ academic center. The walkway is lined by light posts that bear the stonework commonly seen around campus. That’s by design.
“The administration wants a consistent design theme around campus of California Craftsman,” Kostjuk said. “We want that all to
tie in, and we want to flow student traffic well. We want these spaces to be functional and to be beautiful in a timeless way. Additionally, we want areas that inspire higher learning and deeper thinking that is guided by the Scriptures, fostering excellence as part of our worship of Christ.”
Still in the works is a mechanical engineering building, a 1,600-squarefoot, high-tech lab space that will sit behind the current engineering building, near the west entrance of campus. TMU is hoping to begin construction by the end of the year.
In all of its projects, TMU remains thankful to the Lord and to the donors He has provided. The school is especially thankful for its partnership with the John MacArthur Charitable Trust, through which the Lord has provided significant funding for many of the above projects.
The school is also grateful for the hard-working, committed team members at Master’s that oversaw the projects.
The newly-renovated seating area on North Campus is a wonderful place for a quiet cup of coffee or an open-air lecture. The Dunkin Student Center’s latest update has brought a new look to The Trough. PHOTO BY ANNIE VLADOVSKA PHOTO BY ANNIE VLADOVSKANew leader of the Paul T. Plew School of Music discusses his background, musical interests and vision for the school.
What excites you most about becoming dean of TMU’s Paul T. Plew School of Music?
For me, the most attractive thing about teaching at TMU is being part of a campus community that is “on the same page.” Many Christian colleges and universities have taken it as part of their mandate to evangelize students as well as educate them, so they’re accepting a lot of students who don’t profess to be Christians. And that isn’t necessarily wrong. But it’s refreshing to come here, where we’re all committed to the same beliefs from the outset.
I’m impressed with the degree to which TMU has stuck to what it’s good at and what it has a heritage of faithfulness in doing. This university has a distinctive mission, and it seems to be doing an excellent job of fulfilling that mission.
What are your first goals in your new position as dean of the School of Music?
I need to come to a better understanding
of the school’s heritage. It’s clear that Dr. Plew has done an outstanding job, and there’s much that needs to be maintained and built upon. There’s a lot of that story I just don’t know yet. So if I’m to gain the trust of people in the School of Music (and across the institution), I need to listen and learn—about where it’s coming from, what makes it “tick,” and where it’s headed. We need to be faithful stewards of this heritage.
But it’s also important for me to find a way to leave a legacy here—to have some impact on the lives of current students, and to find a way forward that capitalizes on the considerable strengths of the School of Music while adapting to ever-changing professional and ministry contexts. I don’t know yet what that will look like. It will probably take at least a year to gain people’s trust and come up with the beginnings of a plan.
My mom and dad were interested in
us kids having music lessons, so they bought an old upright piano for $75, and a lady in our church gave us free lessons. I was five when we first started taking lessons, and when I was seven I started taking violin lessons, too.
At the outset I hated practicing, though, and I had to be forced to do it. Mom went with us to our lessons, so she knew what we were supposed to be practicing. She’d sit by me on the piano bench and say “play,” and I’d say “no.” Then she’d whack me with a ruler and say “play” – so that’s how I learned! (I’m not recommending this, just relating what happened.)
When I was in graduate school, teaching was certainly my goal. My life took a strange turn after that, though; I ended up working as a full-time music and worship pastor at a church in Toronto for five years directly after I finished my coursework. I wasn’t
expecting that, but it was a wonderful time. I met my wife Pamela at the church, and we were married and had our first son there.
After that, I did go back to academia – first at North American Baptist College in Edmonton, Alberta, and then at Trinity International University. But I wouldn’t give up my five years as a pastor for anything. They were wonderful, and I learned so much working with a pastoral team.
Growing up I was really involved in music at church, as well as in orchestra and music classes at my high school, and I got the idea that I wanted to write music. So when I was applying to colleges, I looked for composition programs. I ended up attending a Bible
college, which wasn’t my first choice, but turned out to be the right place for me. It was a small environment where they honored God and cared about me as a person. My profs knew I wanted to go to graduate school, so they made sure I had the background I needed.
music. All musicians are performers and composers/arrangers to some extent, but I really enjoy music theory, which attempts to explain what music is and why and how it works. So while my undergraduate degree was in composition, both of my graduate degrees were in theory.
Earned a Master of Music and Doctor of Philosophy from Indiana University.
Faculty member and administrator at Trinity International University.
One of my profs had completed his doctorate at Indiana University, so I ended up following in his footsteps – which meant moving from an undergrad program with fifteen music majors to a grad program with fifteen hundred music students. It was a radical shift in environment, but there were fantastic opportunities at IU, and the Lord was faithful. I studied music theory, conducting, arts administration and stage direction, and I eventually earned a doctorate.
I’m better at trying to explain music than I am at writing or performing
Served most recently as interim dean of Trinity’s college and graduate school.
While I enjoy a variety of music, I’m most knowledgeable about Western art music – what most people would call “classical” music. I have a particular affinity for the Baroque period. Not that I think music from that period is necessarily superior; I just really enjoy it.
We have four kids, two of whom are married. Our three sons are 29, 27 and 25, and our daughter is 24. And our first grandchild – a grandson – was born in February of this year!
Hedges is acclimating to his new digs on North Campus, home of the Music Center and the Paul T. Plew School of Music. PHOTOS BY FRIDA TORAYA DIAZTHE MASTER’S UNIVERSITY THEATRE ARTS PROGRAM HAS ANOTHER EXCITING PRODUCTION SCHEDULE PLANNED FOR AUDIENCES IN 2022-2023. HERE’S WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO:
Celebrating its 70th anniversary, Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” is the longest running play in the world, and TMU Theatre Arts Director Tricia Hulet says her program couldn’t be more thrilled to bring it to the stage on Oct. 21-22 and 28-29.
Monkswell Manor Guesthouse is plunged into the cold when a snowstorm traps all of its inhabitants inside and isolated. They’ve just heard on the wireless that there has been a murder in London. And the killer is on the loose. Now, they look at each other with suspicion. Who exactly are all of these strangers they are trapped with?
SPRING 2023
“Father of the Bride” by Caroline Francke is beloved by people of all ages and generations.
Just what kind of a name is Buckley anyway? And why does Kay seem so grown up all of a sudden, and in love, and ready to get … married? Mr. Banks is not at all sure how this
day arrived so fast. As the wedding plans commence, trouble brews as different ideas and expectations about the wedding emerge, coupled with an inevitable lack of communication. But the father of the bride has an opportunity to set the tone and the trajectory of the entire affair.
Don’t miss this heartwarming and stunning production in the spring.
Tricia Hulet has been the director of TMU Theatre Arts since 2008. PHOTO BY KATIE SEITZ
PHOTO BY TRINITY PERALTA
How many times have you heard phrases like “follow the science” or “the science is settled”? These appeals show up everywhere in news and conversation, because our culture tends to look at science as the only reliable way to know something.
But as believers, what place should science have in our worldview? And what does it look like to teach and practice science in a way that honors Christ?
Before we answer those questions, let’s start with something more foundational.
Science may be defined in several different ways. According to Google, science is an intellectual and practical activity that involves studying the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world. This is done through observation and experimentation.
At The Master’s University, we view the practice of science as a process that involves what is commonly referred to as the scientific method.
Sir Francis Bacon, a Christian and young–Earth creationist, is credited with formalizing the way in which
modern science should be practiced when he articulated the scientific method.
Bacon believed that we should study nature by examining evidence that proved the existence of God. Indeed, many of the scientists of his day practiced their science with this mindset. The scientific method involves making systematic observations of some aspect of nature, followed by formulating hypotheses to explain the observations. Hypotheses should then lead to experiments to aid in eliminating competing hypotheses — all with the idea of getting closer to the truth of the matter.
As any historian of science will attest, the practice of science and its consequent technologies had spurts and starts in the Far East and parts of the Middle East, but it really blossomed in Europe, where the church (Roman Catholic) fostered a strong belief in God as Creator and Lawgiver.
It was observed that the creation was following a certain logic, orderly and governed by laws, and therefore amenable to study and making predictions. Many believed that the study of the creation, whether physical or biological, would allow them to better know the Creator. Johann Kepler aptly stated this when he said we are “thinking God’s thoughts after Him.” Thus, science as we know it today was and is possible only within the framework of the Christian worldview.
Unfortunately, most in the scientific community have elevated science to such a lofty status that it has become a religion for them. This is commonly referred to as naturalism or scientism.
Scientists, according to former Berkeley law professor Philip Johnson, have become the new dispensers of truth.
They have supplanted the theologian or church pastor. This sentiment was captured well in a statement by Anthony Standen (1950) in his book “Science is a Sacred Cow.” It opens like this:
“When a white-robed scientist, momentarily looking away from his microscope or his cyclotron, makes some pronouncement for the general public, he may not be understood, but at least he is certain to be believed. No one ever doubts what is said by a scientist. Statesmen, industrialists, ministers of religion, civic leaders, philosophers, all are questioned and criticized, but scientists — never. Scientists are exalted beings who stand at the very topmost pinnacle of popular prestige, for they have the monopoly of the formula ‘It has been scientifically proved …’ which appears to rule out all possibility of disagreement. Thus, the world is divided into Scientists, who practice the art of infallibility, and non-scientists, sometimes contemptuously called ‘laymen,’ who are taken in by it.”
Each professor in the science department at TMU is dedicated to teaching that God’s Word is the ultimate source of truth. Not prominent scientists of the day.
I believe that the single most important issue confronting the teaching and practice of Christ–honoring science is the teaching of evolutionism.
Allow me to briefly address this with two quotes.
“Evolutionary theory is, in the minds of many biologists, the foundation on which all biological science is built. … Philosopher J. Collins has written that ‘there are no living sciences, human attitudes, or institutional powers that remain unaffected by the ideas…released
by Darwin’s work’” (Miller and Levine, 1995, Biology, p. 313).
“In the century since 1859, the Darwinian model of nature has come to influence every aspect of modern thought…. The entire scientific ethos and philosophy of modern western man is based to a large extent upon the central claim of Darwinian theory that humanity was not born by the creative intentions of a deity but by a completely mindless trial and error selection of random molecular patterns.” (Denton, M., 1985, Evolution: A Theory in Crisis, p. 357).
If Darwin’s ideas have impacted virtually all of man’s endeavors, as these two statements suggest, then this theory, of all theories, should be placed under the greatest scrutiny. When it comes to teaching “values,” educators insist that young people learn to think for themselves and hear the best arguments for and against established opinions. If students are encouraged to question even the most well-established ethical and moral precepts of society, why not question even the most well-established scientific precepts?
Martin Luther said it best when he stated:
“If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest expression every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides, is mere flight and disgrace, if he flinches at that point.”
I believe that the single point where the church has flinched is in the battle over the minds of men. They have allowed the secular world via science to
dictate what truth is and how it can be known — only through science. Indeed, we often hear the phrase “follow the science” used by politicians of today whenever they want to get the people to follow. Indeed, ever since Darwin’s seminal work, people have embraced evolutionism as it provided a way to explain the world without reference to a designer, without God, and it provided “scientific” justification for many of the sinful compulsions of men.
There are basically two types of science: the historical or origin sciences and operational or experimental sciences. The historical sciences would include paleontology, much of geology, forensics and much of astronomy. These disciplines deal with unobserved and unrepeatable events and thus are not amenable to the scientific method.
This is not to say that certain techniques and technologies employed by experimental science cannot be used to study past events. But when it comes to analyzing the data and coming to conclusions, the researcher is left with subjective, imaginative ideas based on his or her worldview.
The operational sciences include biochemistry, chemistry, much of biology, and physics, which deal with observable and repeatable events and are amenable to the scientific method; they are more objective and not based heavily on worldview. It is these latter sciences that have given rise to all the various technologies and medicines we are so familiar with.
Few people seem to recognize that there is a difference between the two types of science. This, in part, is deliberate as the scientific community wants to conflate the two types, leading people to think that evolution is based on objective data gathered through operational/
experimental science and not based on subjective imagination.
There are basically two types of evolution: microevolution, and macroevolution. The former involves the study of small changes in gene frequency over time within a population existing in the present. Macroevolution is based on the idea that small changes in one kind of animal or plant, in time, leads to large changes, or one kind of organism changing into another kind. Microevolution is more operational science and amenable to use of the scientific method, whereas macroevolution is not, it is historical. Conclusions drawn from microevolutionary studies are more objective, whereas those drawn from macroevolutionary studies are subjective and based on worldview. Here, again, there is a deliberate attempt to confuse people by using only one word, “evolution,” to describe the two very different processes.
There is a blind, uncritical adherence to evolutionism. It has become an anti-God religion. The apostle Paul calls us to fight against all ideas that are raised up against God. We are amid a battle, not one of religion vs. science or science vs. science, as some would say, but religion vs. religion, worldview vs. worldview.
Following Paul’s mandate, we teach our students about evolutionism as well as all its flaws in our courses at TMU. We teach that it really is a religion raised up against the God of the Bible. We teach students to question the precepts of men and to show how the study of creation can be God-honoring and that creation is best explained through a biblical worldview which does not a priori rule out design and a designer.
Many will teach that there is a designer, but not teach who the designer is; that’s left up to the student to figure out. At TMU, we unapologetically teach that the Designer is the God of the Bible.
I think that all people have a desire to learn and know more about the natural and physical world in which they live. I believe the practice of science, particularly God–honoring science, is really a calling. For a Christian practicing science, it is a way of better knowing our Creator and allowing us to have a greater appreciation of Him.
Unfortunately, most people practicing science today are not Christian. A recent poll of members of the prestigious National Academy of Science revealed that about 95% are self-professed atheists. Both the atheist and Christian study the world around us to satisfy the curiosity we all share in learning and knowing. Scientific study also provides the grist for the many technological advances we have today. The scientific endeavor for the Bible–believing Christian additionally provides a way of introducing the gospel to unbelievers and providing support and strengthening confidence in the gospel for the believer. Practicing science for the Christian is another way of honoring God, for he or she gives all the honor and glory to God by acknowledging Him in all his or her
thinking.
Kepler warns us of our tendency to “glorify our own minds instead of giving God the glory.” The atheist practicing science, on the other hand, goes against Kepler’s warning and honors self; God has no place in their thinking. Unfortunately, today many believe that true science can only be practiced through a secular evolutionary framework. Indeed, all scientists are strongly encouraged not to invoke the supernatural in any explanation of what is observed or discovered. When one does not acknowledge God in their thinking and explanations, it leads many to use science to justify their sinful cravings and desires. For example, when Darwin published his infamous book, “On the Origin of Species,” many saw it as scientific justification for such ideas as slavery, racism, promiscuity, euthanasia, genocide and abortion, to name a few.
In TMU’s Department of Biological and Physical Science, we believe strongly that it is important for our students to know that science as we know it today was fostered only in a Christian environment, and that much of the science and technology we enjoy today is based on the observations and experiments done by Bible–believing Christians who came before us. As Sir Isaac Newton once said, in the sciences “…we stand on the shoulders of giants.”
We are often told that “real” science can only be done with a belief in evolutionism; creationists cannot do “real” science since they have not embraced evolutionism. This is nonsensical and an attempt to discourage and disparage creation scientists.
Again, an honest look at the history of science would dispel this notion. Take, for example, some well-known scientists who were/are young–Earth
creationists who practiced God–honoring science:
Gregor Mendel, the father of genetics
Joseph Lister, pioneer of preventive medicine and chemical disinfectants
Louis Pasteur, the father of germ theory
James Clerk Maxwell, developer of the mathematical framework of the electromagnetic theory
Michael Faraday, discoverer of electromagnetic induction and inventor of electric generators
Robert Boyle, the father of modern chemistry
Johann Kepler, the father of physical astronomy
James Joule, discoverer of the constant that allows conversion between heat energy and mechanical energy
Blaise Pascal, mathematician and a founder of the science of hydrostatics and hydrodynamics
Werner von Braun, pioneer of modern rocket science
John Sanford, gene gun
Raymond Damadian, of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).
Those are just a few.
Now, how does all of this play out at TMU?
COMPOSED BY DR. ROSS ANDERSON Professor, BiochemistryWe teach the importance of research.
We teach biblical clarity on the creation/evolution debate.
One of our required core courses is Origins. This class addresses one of the distinctives of TMU: that the Earth and everything in it were created by the God of the Bible approximately 6,000 years ago, and that there was a single couple, Adam and Eve, on the newly created Earth. In this course, we clarify many misconceptions regarding evolution and creation and clearly show that a belief in evolutionism is an anti–God religion masquerading as science.
In every course, we discuss the evolutionary and creationist views. In this way, students are exposed to both views and taught how to think through the many extravagant claims of the evolutionary community.
We teach critical thinking.
An important ability in the natural and physical sciences is getting to the heart of a problem.
To do this, however, you need to have a certain amount of basic background information to serve as a foundation upon which to build.
Additionally, you need to be able to reason and think critically. This is learned through experience, and our courses are designed to provide this experience.
Ultimately, we encourage our students to pose questions, research background information, and propose strategies for answering questions. In short, we teach the students to teach themselves, for only then do students truly become educated.
Laboratory research is an excellent educational tool that can be used to expand and deepen our understanding of nature. To this end, several professors in our department are actively engaging TMU students in original research projects, leading to the publication of papers in peer-reviewed journals and preparation of posters which are then presented at undergraduate research conferences. In 2016 and 2019, our students received awards for best poster and poster presentation.
These activities, combined with our Senior Seminar course, teach students how to do research, read and digest scientific literature, and present it to their peers.
We teach an interdisciplinary approach.
Each professor in our department, as much as possible, integrates the natural sciences with the physical sciences, and vice-versa. This ultimately leads to a greater breadth and depth in understanding. The interrelatedness of these disciplines reveals how God has beautifully designed form to fit function at the level of the whole organism. This is particularly important in today’s scientific climate, where Christians are pressured from all sides to adopt the secular worldview of life.
Students studying the various scientific disciplines at TMU are blessed in that professors have the freedom to show how the hand of God is at work throughout the various disciplines, thus providing an alternative, more accurate view of life and the world around us.
Only then can we use science to defend and contend for the Word of God.
We believe God is Creator, and that all the biology we teach provides evidence of His goodness and creativity. In microbiology we see intricate details at a micro level that show bacteria with machines and even motors that rival anything we can create at the macro level. These small creatures and their machines run major recycling activities of nutrients on Earth. Also, in the human immune system we see a body system that literally protects us minute by minute from invaders, keeping beneficial microbes in place and filtering out the bad. It's a testimony to God's goodness in our lives each day.
In kinesiology, we teach that God has not only created our bodies, but he is actively involved in sustaining and holding all things together in His creation (Col. 1; Heb. 1). As we study the design and function of the body, we see God’s handiwork in the intricate detail and the interdependence of the anatomical systems. The Apostle Paul uses like concepts of the human body in Romans, I Corinthians and Ephesians to teach us that a healthy, growing church has a diversity of members that work together to bring glory to the Lord. Furthermore, we learn that since the Fall, the body is susceptible to illness, injury and disease. But even through these difficult processes we all experience, we see how the Lord has crafted the body with the capability of healing and restoration.
Our department's mission is to analyze, apply and advance technology for the honor of Christ and Scripture and for the good of all creation. However, as we do so, we must also examine the trustworthiness of technology through the lens of a biblical worldview. Advanced engineering, classical computing, quantum computing and artificial intelligence, while manifesting increasingly impressive power, have intrinsic limitations. Unsanctified individuals and societies also employ designs, algorithms and data for purposes that are not always aligned with a biblical worldview. In a world transformed by technology, believers need critical discernment in order to understand what the technology can and cannot be trusted to deliver.
Dr. Joe Francis
Dean, School of Science, Mathematics, Technology and Heath
David Larsen
Chair, Department of Kinesiology
Dr. John Eickemeyer
Associate Professor, Engineering & Computer Science
We asked faculty members in the School of Science, Mathematics, Technology and Health to describe how they approach teaching and practicing their discipline in a Christ–honoring way.
Chair, Department of Mathematics
Mathematics is one of the oldest subjects of study of the human race. In its simplest form, it was used in the Bible to describe quantities (of days, tribes and disciples, to name a few). It was taught in the Middle Ages, at the time of the birth of the modern university, when mathematics comprised two of the original seven liberal arts (geometry and arithmetic). Now, in the present day, mathematics is the language through which all the sciences understand creation, and provides a solid foundation in both logic and deduction. Every day, I am excited and eager to teach a subject that was created by God and is used by Him to sharpen our intellect, and to reveal more and more of the mysteries of the universe and how it functions.
Chair, Department of Engineering & Computer ScienceMost of today's world of engineering, like computer science, is atheistic and Darwinistic, often aggressively so. At TMU, we take our inspiration from and teach students the awesome Christian cultures and figures of the past that produced the original mathematical and scientific innovations underlying modern technology. This is the world that produced Isaac Newton, Leonhard Euler, James Clerk Maxwell, and a host of others driven by the conviction that God's mind is the source of order in the cosmos, that He is the Ultimate Engineer of all that is, and that because our minds are patterned after His we can understand and even copy what He has designed and built. All engineers do this, whether they know it or not; TMU engineers know it clearly.
Associate Professor, Biology & GeologyPaleontology and geology are, for the most part, historical sciences. This means that most of what they deal with is in the past. A God-honoring perspective in these sciences, then, necessarily requires that we start with what God says about the past. We must ground ourselves in what the Word of God teaches on the origins of the Earth and its creatures before we can accurately use science to help us fill in the details. The foundation provided by the Bible gives us a framework for understanding Earth history and the confidence to tackle the hard questions of geologic time and the fossil record. Secondly, the Christian Earth scientist has the added privilege of seeing God’s glory in every feature of the Earth from the majestic beauty of the Grand Canyon to the intricate design in the eyes of a fossilized trilobite.
Dr. Michael Button David Crater Dr. Matthew McLainIn the midst of today’s booming scientific advancements and the ubiquitous influence of technology, TMU’s School of Science, Mathematics, Technology & Health trains students to be knowledgeable in their fields and capable researchers, preparing them to approach their future in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields with an unshakeable biblical grounding and a zeal to worship Christ in their work.
B.S. or B.A. Biological Science Pre-Medical Pre-Dentistry
Pre-Allied Health Pre-Nursing Pre-Veterinary Science / Animal Science
Cellular & Molecular Biology Natural History/Environmental Biology Paleontology
Life Science Education
B.S. Geoscience Geology Environmental Science
B.S. Computer Science Computer Science Information Systems
Artificial Intelligence
B.S. Computer Engineering
B.S. Electrical Engineering B.S. Mechanical Engineering
B.S. or B.A. Kinesiology
Pre-Physical Therapy
Exercise & Sport Science
B.A. Mathematics Pre-Engineering Applied Mathematics Mathematics Education Pure Mathematics
THE SCIENCE & TECH ISSUE PHOTO BY RYAN MILLER
Prior to coming to The Master’s University, Dr. Francis served as a post-doctoral fellow and research scientist at the University of Michigan Medical School. He also taught biology for 10 years at Cedarville University. He is a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Francis has published numerous scientific articles in medical and biological journals. His research interests include: microscopy, cellular immunology, invertebrate biology, and microbiology.
The Bible is the foundation for science, not science for the Bible. This is blasphemy for secular institutions or atypical at Christian institutions, as the latter merely integrate a biblical worldview into the sciences or view science as an authority equal to but separate from Scripture. These views of science and faith place them — in the words of a famous evolutionary biologist — in separate non-overlapping magesteria; two truth-seeking realms that do not relate well to one another. At Master’s, science and Scripture are not separated. We believe that the Bible is a true foundation for all the disciplines.”
acceptance rate to medical school.
among Christian universities and in the top 15% in “Colleges with the Best Academics in California”
Close proximity to technological and scientific hubs in the Los Angeles area.
DEAN SPOTLIGHT DR. JOE FRANCIS PHOTO BY TRINITY PERALTA
The now-senior is studying biology with a pre-dentistry emphasis.
BY KAELYN PEAYJacob Kim, now a senior biology major, was just the kind of prospective student The Master’s University loves to find.
He was maturing in his faith, diligent in his work, and he had a high appreciation for Christian education. The only thing holding Kim back from attending TMU was the question of whether or not he’d be able to afford it. But that’s where the President’s Scholarship came in. The $64,000 academic scholarship, given out across four years, has allowed Kim to come to TMU to study and pursue his goal of glorifying God and serving others through dentistry.
Growing up in Spokane, Washington, Kim was blessed with “an awesome church” and 13 years in a classical Christian school. His dad worked as a physical therapist, and his mom taught middle school English at the school Kim attended. Both spiritually and academically, he describes his upbringing as blessed.
When it came time to think about college, Kim knew he wanted to attend a Christian school that would prepare him well for his plans afterward: graduate school and a career in healthcare. And one of the schools he looked into was
TMU. In fact, it was a top contender. Kim’s only question was cost.
So, what changed?
After applying for the President’s Scholarship, Kim was called in for an interview with TMU’s admissions team.
“My most distinct memory from the interview is that someone asked me, ‘What are you reading in Scripture right now, and what are you learning from it?’ I was not expecting that question at all. It was really cool, and I got to explain what I was learning at the time,” Kim says.
In April, Kim got the news that he had won the scholarship.
Now a senior at TMU, Kim is grateful to have the opportunity to study biology (with an emphasis in pre-dentistry) at a place where the other students take spiritual growth seriously.
“The best part of TMU has been the community,” Kim says. “I am constantly encouraged by how they seek to grow and bring everything under obedience to Christ. They have been a living testimony to me of the power of the gospel and of Jesus Christ.”
He is also grateful for the small size of his biology classes and for the earnest help of his professors, which have been invaluable as he studies the intricacies of his major.
“In my biochemistry class, there are 12 to 15 students,” he says. “It’s really enjoyable to have a small enough class size where I can ask questions and feel like I’m not bothering my professor or my classmates. There’s that openness, which I think is really helpful in the learning process, where I’m able to ask questions when I don’t understand something.”
He says that Dr. Ross Anderson, a professor of biochemistry, has been especially helpful, graciously guiding him through how to manage his workload and wrap his head around the trickier concepts in his courses. This knowledge will be invaluable as he goes on to dental school, in hopes of becoming a general practice dentist.
“I want to go into a field where I’m able to help people who can’t help themselves,” Kim says.
In the meantime, Kim is savoring the lessons and opportunities associated with where the Lord has him right now.
“I don’t think I could adequately list all the ways I’ve grown since coming to TMU. God has taught me so much about myself, about Himself, about how I ought to live in a way that honors Him.”
TMU professor helped build a missile warning system that recently traveled into space aboard a U.S. Space Force rocket.
BY MASON NESBITTLet this sink in: When David Crater isn’t teaching at The Master’s University, he’s programming a next-generation missile warning system.
Crater, chair of TMU’s engineering and computer science department, has worked for the past six years for Millennium Space Systems in El Segundo, Calif. The company is a subsidiary of Boeing.
On July 1, the United States Space Force (USSF) launched an Atlas V rocket, and with it, a wide-field-of-view satellite built by Crater and other members of Millennium’s team.
“It’s basically staring at the Earth, looking for rocket launches,” Crater said. “For example, if a country were to launch a rocket at us, we’d be able to detect that using this satellite and take national defense steps.”
For his part, Crater has spent the last five years writing code for software that enables operators to send commands to the satellite, receive information from it, and make sense of that information.
On July 1, the satellite departed for space as part of the USSF-12 mission. The
Atlas V rocket, and the satellite, departed from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Crater wasn’t there, but that’s not to say he wasn’t excited. “Rocket launches never get old because they’re so risky,” he said. “On that Atlas V rocket, there were hundreds of thousands of pounds of highpressure liquid hydrogen, liquid oxygen, and refined kerosene rocket fuel. Everything must be perfectly engineered. One loose seal or valve can cause an explosion that destroys the satellite we had spent five years of our lives working on.
“I really do praise God that He has not only given us the minds but given us the ability to organize many minds to achieve
something of this magnitude.”
Ultimately, the satellite settled into a geosynchronous orbit at an altitude of roughly 22,000 miles above the equator. Geosynchronous means the satellite is orbiting at the same speed that the Earth rotates, making the satellite appear to stay at the same spot above the Earth’s surface.
From the ground, Crater is now charged with maintenance and software upgrades for the expensive piece of technology.
The job is well within his wheelhouse. Crater entered the space industry roughly 25 years ago when he worked on satellite systems for the Air Force, first as an officer and then as a contractor.
He later moved to Indiana to work for the Navy in electronic warfare systems, before moving again, this time to Los Angeles to work as a software engineer in defense and intelligence satellite systems.
Crater brings that hands-on experience and substantial academic credentials (he holds four master’s
degrees and a law degree) to his work at TMU, where he joined the faculty in 2020.
In fact, a strong blend of real-world experience and academia also characterizes TMU’s engineering and computer science faculty as a whole.
“Academia and industry are two worlds that complement each other,” Crater said, “and we’re bringing the best of both worlds to TMU.”
This fall, The Master’s University welcomed an incoming class of more than 40 new engineering and computer science students to campus (roughly the number of students in the entire department last year). Some of them, Crater believes, may have a future in the space industry — just like him.
“The space business is only one subfield of the engineering world, but it’s also a very exciting one,” Crater said. “Building satellites and operating them is a very cool line of work, and it’s huge in Los Angeles.
“I anticipate that a lot of future TMU grads will have interest and opportunities to move into that world.”
BUILD YOUR NETWORK
It’s not what you know; it’s who you know. This is one of those stranger-than-fiction facts. What you know is good, who you know is better. When you need help, it matters who you know. Social media is not networking — those people do not know you! Build your network with real people while getting lunch, over coffee, on the phone and at conferences.
you could invest your k nowledge and sk ills doing wor k that matters for eter nit y as par t of a like -minded, suppor tive team?
Accountable2You is a Christian owned sof t ware company with a growing team of talented, fun loving people. Based in nor thern Kentuck y, we provide digital accountabilit y tools to thousands of customers worldwide.
Being alone on a device can easily lead to poor choices. Our ser vice promotes transparenc y through detailed monitoring and repor ting of all device ac tivit y, helping people make better choices and avoid destruc tive habits online.
STEPHEN (’06) AND LISA (’07) WREESMAN graduated from The Master’s University as pre-med majors. Now, they are serving as medical missionaries in Togo, a small nation in West Africa. The Wreesmans represent a portion of more than 50 alumni of TMU currently serving as missionaries across the world.
“The value of our time at Master’s was that it wasn’t just spent studying science — though the science part was really good,” Stephen says. “But there was so much more. There was discipleship. There were relationships. There were conversations about God’s Word.”
After graduating from TMU, Stephen went through a prestigious program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md., and Lisa tackled an accelerated master’s program in nursing at the University of Maryland. “Both of us would say that
Master’s prepared us really well for our graduate studies,” Lisa says.
After graduate school, they joined the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) and moved to northern Togo as long-term medical missionaries for nearly five years.
So far, the experience has been difficult but immensely rewarding. The challenges can be as seemingly small as explaining the definition of “home” to their four young children who have bounced between countries for most of their lives – or as serious as navigating complicated medical situations that can be outside Stephen or Lisa’s specialties.
“There’s an intensity there, because the people can be very sick, and the breadth of what you do is often outside of your specialty,” Stephen says. “I will not say that it’s easy, because it is not. It’s
one of the most challenging aspects of our lives. But it’s also really good.”
Physical and spiritual needs are uniquely intertwined when it comes to medical missions, and this fact offers Stephen and Lisa a wonderful platform for sharing the gospel.
Says Stephen, “When people are suffering and going through these hard times, they’re often very cognizant of their own mortality. So, it’s a great opportunity to practically live out the love of Christ for people by taking care of them, which then opens doors because people become willing to listen.”
Since the Wreesmans moved to Togo, their hospital has already hosted two shortterm missions teams from TMU.
“They were fantastic,” Lisa says. “We were really blessed by them.”
Stephen and Lisa’s own preparation at TMU has also served them in numerous ways.
“To be a doctor is much more than just applying medical science,” Stephen says. “You have to care for people, love them, show compassion to them, and have integrity. And being a doctor isn’t an end to itself. It’s an opportunity to serve the Lord. And at the end of the day, you’re not the hero of the story. Being at Master’s helped solidify my thinking in this way.”
Lisa agrees: “I think my idea of what missionary work is and why it’s important grew and expanded while we were (at Master’s). I was also taught the idea of vocation as ministry. Whatever we’re doing in life — whether it’s working as a doctor or a nurse in the U.S., or doing the same thing overseas, or being a mom — I was taught to see that what I’ve been given to do on any given day as a way to pour my life out and serve God and love people.”
NNicole Nitake came to The Master’s University to play basketball. But ultimately, a lot more took place here.
At TMU, Nitake (’16) came to faith in Christ, wrote her name in the Mustangs’ record book, and laid the academic foundation for what came next.
In 2020, Nitake graduated with a doctorate from UC San Diego Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences. She now works as a pharmacist for Pharmco, Inc., in Torrance, California.
Nitake’s father, Mike, says he never could have predicted how his daughter’s time at TMU would change her life. “I honestly feel like it was planned,” he says.
Nicole would agree.
When she arrived as a freshman at TMU in the fall of 2012, she says she believed there was a God and that He loved her. She was open to learning
more about Christ, but she wasn’t sure which religion was true, and she was skeptical about the authenticity of her classmates’ faith.
Nitake thought TMU students believed the Bible only because their parents did. During small groups in Sweazy dorm, she says she “didn’t hold back.”
“I asked some pretty tough questions,” she says. “But they were really gracious, and they were so kind, and when they didn’t know something, they didn’t just give me some vague answer. They were honest that they didn’t know the answer. But that didn’t deter their faith at all.”
Nitake was intrigued. In chapel and class, she learned how history supported the Bible’s narrative — initially one of her biggest hang-ups. She also came to see that science and Christianity did not stand in opposition to each other.
Speakers at TMU’s Creation
Symposium used astronomy to provide convincing arguments regarding a young Earth — arguments that chipped away at Nitake’s belief that science was the foundation for all truth. In class, her professors directly and indirectly showed her “the creative and masterful mind of God” through His creation, which they said could not possibly have occurred on its own. Slowly, she came to agree with them.
Nitake was also impacted by conversations with her basketball teammates.
God used it all, and Nitake says that at some point in the middle of her freshman year He opened her eyes and softened her heart to the truth that Christ had died for her sins and risen from the dead. She placed her faith in Him.
“I was talking to some of the girls and it just hit me that the gospel is absolutely true and there is nothing in the world that can save me apart from that,” she says.
Nitake says her newfound faith allowed her to gradually release the idols of popularity and success. “I
gained purpose in life, and it allowed me to simplify my focus on Christ above all. I no longer had to stress about being the best or how the world viewed me,” she says. “It only matters now how God sees me and my heart.”
Over the next three years, TMU’s women’s basketball coach at the time, Dan Waldeck, saw a dramatic change in the way Nitake prayed before practice, contributed to team Bible studies, and cared for other players.
“She really started to understand what it meant to follow the Lord
and then made it a commitment,” Waldeck says. “It was amazing.”
And it was something Nitake felt she couldn’t keep to herself. She had to tell her family.
“I love them so much, and so I felt the only way to truly love them was to show them the love of God as well,” she says, adding that her family’s response has been overwhelmingly positive.
Mike, Nitake’s father, says he witnessed a change in the strength of his daughter’s convictions.
“It gave her direction. For a lot of young people, it’s difficult for them because they’re just not sure what they want to do or where they want to go or how they want to behave,” he says. “But with Nicole, it painted a clear road for her to follow.”
Meanwhile, Nitake’s basketball career blossomed.
Never the fastest or strongest player as a kid, Nitake focused on her ability to shoot the ball — and make it — from long distances. That skill carried her up TMU’s all-time threepointers list, where she ultimately finished second with 211 makes. She remains first on the Mustangs’ career list for three-point percentage (43%), and she helped Master’s win the Golden State Athletic Conference tournament championship in 2015.
Nitake treasures the relationships she formed on the team (she remains
in contact with several former Mustangs). But her basketball regimen made for a whirlwind four years at TMU.
As a biological science major, Nitake balanced classes like organic chemistry with two- or three-hour practices, workouts, chapel and church attendance.
She says the itinerary was grueling, but that it ultimately prepared her for UC San Diego, where she began her doctorate studies in 2016.
“Even though pharmacy school is the most academically challenging time in my life, Master’s was the most physically, mentally and spiritually challenging time,” she says.
The juggling act forced Nitake to be efficient and, most importantly, to fully trust and rely on God. It was a lesson she’d need again.
“At pharmacy school, I would get stressed. I would worry about an exam, or flunking out of school,” she says. “But ultimately, I knew that God was in control. So regardless of what happened, I knew that it was going
Nitake also received help from her classmates in “tight-knit” study groups, and she found support in a local church, a resource TMU’s staff had always emphasized.
“The church kept me grounded and kept me having the right perspective,” she says.
Eventually, Nitake found her footing by displaying the same consistency and commitment in the classroom that she
After graduating from TMU, Nicole Nitake earned a doctorate from UC San Diego in 2020.
had on the court.
“In basketball, you have to be determined and focused because you can easily be like, ‘I’m not feeling it today. I’ll just put up a couple shots in the gym, and I’ll be done,’” she says. “And if you only study for as long as you feel like it, then you’re probably not going to reach your goal. You have to have a strong mindset, know what you’re going to accomplish before you set out to do it, and get it done.”
Nitake also set out to start a new branch of a recognized Christian pharmacist organization. Her group regularly hosted events and smallgroup Bible studies for classmates, creating an environment where UCSD students could be spurred on in their studies and in their faith and where others could hear the gospel. “I was hoping to create a light on campus,” Nitake says.
She’s confident that light won’t soon go out.
After she graduated in 2020, Nitake left the Bible study to younger students she believes will be faithful to Christ and to the vision of witnessing to their classmates.
As for Nitake, she sees her current role as a pharmacist at Pharmco, Inc., as an opportunity to honor the God who saved her during her freshman year at TMU.
“After Master's, I no longer regarded science as absolute truth,” Nitake says. “Though amazing things have come from it, it’s clear throughout history how often it has been incorrect and revised. In contrast, the Word of God stands the test of time. Being a pharmacist isn’t my identity, but a means to better know God, serve Him and serve others.”
Caltech grad Joey Kim equips students for careers and lives of faithfulness to Christ.
The Kim family was long on ambition but short on cash
Joey Kim, a child of Korean transplants to Philadelphia, remembers how his parents would argue over finances. For a young kid, the lesson was clear: More money meant fewer problems. So, when Joey learned in high school that chemists make a solid living, his interest was piqued. Ultimately, he majored in chemical engineering at the University of Delaware.
Caltech and gained experience at national research labs. But instead of spending his life transmuting chemicals into cash, he now lives in the classroom, teaching undergrad students at The Master’s University to love science not solely for its financial rewards, but because it is a mission field where believers can declare God’s glory.
BY KAELYN PEAY“My college advisor said: ‘In chemistry, you take reactants, and then you make products. In chemical engineering, you take reactants, and then you make profit.’”
Joey was sold.
He has since earned a doctorate in chemical engineering from
This dramatic transformation happened in little moments as the Lord saved Joey out of nominal Christianity and showed him a greater reason for getting up in the morning — a perspective he now brings to the classes he teaches at TMU in the science and engineering programs.
***
Dr. Joey Kim grew up attending church, but while his youth group
PHOTOS BY RYAN MILLERtalked about morality, a vastly more important lesson was missing — the gospel. As for reading Scripture, it was a chore. Kim struggled to understand what it said.
Even still, in college he continued attending church out of habit. And one day the pastor shared a story that forever shifted the way Kim viewed his career.
“He was giving a testimony about a girl who got accepted into MIT’s Ph.D. program for mechanical engineering,” Kim says. “And at that time, I was like, ‘I think that’s something I can aspire to. I’ve been getting really good grades, and I think that’s something that’s within my grasp.’ And the pastor went on to say that she gave it all up to be a missionary.”
Kim remembers feeling sick. He was
mystified as to why someone would throw away the rare opportunity to be a Christian witness at MIT. “Initially, I had judged her,” Kim says. “But not anymore. I think God really used that to cultivate a passion in me. Afterwards I was praying to God, ‘If You give me an opportunity to go to a place like MIT, I’m going. Not because I want to make money but because I want to be a missionary in the STEM field.’”
Looking back, Kim realizes that his missionary zeal was rooted in a passion for a church community — not a real love for Christ. However,
that moment changed the course of his life. From that point on, a lucrative career was not his only goal, even if it remained a high priority. So instead of pursuing work as a chemical engineer (the more profitable option) after his bachelor’s degree , he pursued graduate school and was accepted into Caltech’s top-ranked chemical engineering program.
It was there that an even greater transformation took place.
When he arrived in California, Kim looked for churches similar
I was just so amazed at who God is, because it was the first time I ever understood how much of a sinner I was, and I understood why Jesus needed to die.Kim’s teaching responsibilities at TMU range from introductory chemistry labs to upper-division engineering courses.
to the one he grew up in. After visiting four or five and growing frustrated by how superficial they seemed, he settled at one purely for its basketball league. As his dissatisfaction with the preaching increased, he turned to sermons on YouTube to fill the gap.
One message that had impacted him in the past was Paul Washer’s “Shocking Youth Message.” Kim tried to find it one day on the drive between his house and church, but instead he stumbled onto a different sermon of Washer’s.
“This one was about the gospel,” Kim says. “It was a message about substitutionary atonement. And I just broke down in my car.”
After 25 years in church, Kim heard the gospel articulated clearly for the first time that day.
“I was just so amazed at who God is, because it was the first time I ever understood how much of a sinner I was, and I understood why Jesus needed to die,” he says. “All the times I had gone to church, there were basic gospel questions no one could answer for me — or they answered in a very inadequate way that didn’t make any sense. But this YouTube sermon had the answer. My world changed.”
The difference, Kim realized, was that Paul Washer exalted Scripture. The churches Kim had been part of did not.
After that day, as he finished his doctoral studies in chemical engineering, Kim pored over
Scripture with fresh eyes. And he loved it. In fact, he fell so deeply in love with God’s Word that he considered dropping out of the program and pursuing biblical studies.
“However, I still remembered the commitment I made to God that if He ever gave me an opportunity to go to a place like Caltech or MIT, I would go,” Kim says. “I didn’t think He brought me to Caltech just so that I could throw it away. So I stuck it out.”
Now, Kim sees himself as a missionary to the STEM community — not out of a nominal passion for the church, but from a deep-seated love for the God of Scripture. He hopes to equip STEM students to excel in their careers while shining as lights for Christ, making Kim a clear mission match for TMU.
Kim began teaching chemistry at
TMU in fall 2020. And with his background in material science, he’s also well equipped to teach classes like Electromagnetism and Thermodynamics in TMU’s engineering programs.
“Dr. Kim brings impeccable academic credentials along with a fully consistent faith outlook,” says David Crater, chair of TMU’s engineering and computer science department. “It’s impossible to overstate how special that is.”
For his part, Kim continues to dive deeply into Scripture and theology as he works to make up for lost time. He’s excited to be part of a community like TMU that holds the Word in such high regard.
“I want to teach here because I not only want to serve the community, but I want to learn from the community,” he says. “That’s why I’m here.”
Kim was a featured speaker at TMU’s first TheoTech Conference in 2021.
PHOTO BY KATIE SEITZ
BY DAVE CALDWELL
This fall, The Master’s University Athletic Department will look to continue a tradition of excellence with teams that are not only expected to compete for conference championships, but to find success on the national stage. Several teams made deep NAIA tournament runs last year, while individual athlete success included a national runner-up and an individual Golden State Athletic Conference champion. The Mustangs’ primary focus is to prepare and perform “The Master’s Way” — as an act of worship to Christ. Here’s a preview of what you can expect from TMU’s fall and winter teams on the field, the court and the course.
As always, your best source for all things TMU Athletics is gomustangs.com, where you will find schedules, stats and livestreams of games.
Last season, the Mustangs were predicted to finish seventh in the Golden State Athletic Conference, but strong performances in tight games saw them place third. With seven starters returning from that squad, plus key players returning healthy from injury and the addition of a talented incoming class, the Mustangs should find themselves in contention for a GSAC title.
Prince Chingancheke scored two goals in eight games last year
Aidan Rohde 2021 All-GSAC selection
Giorgio Martino 2021 All-GSAC selection
Theo Kudlo 2021 All-GSAC selection
David Cloar transfer from San Bernardino Valley College
Silas Chavez 2x Prep League MVP
Robert Castro transfer from Virginia Military Institute
8-8-1 Overall, 5-3 GSAC (3rd)
On Oct. 8, 2022, the Mustangs will host Westmont College at TMU.
FALLThe Mustangs returned numerous key contributors from last year’s team. They’ll seek to mesh with a freshman goalkeeper, plus several young players up top. Head Coach Curtis Lewis said he liked what he saw from his players during the preseason, believing this team can compete for a GSAC title.
HEAD COACH Curtis Lewis | 17th season
Alexandria Dunn started 13 games on defense; two assists
Holly McRitchie started 16 games on defense
Ellie Radmilovich has totaled eight goals, 10 assists in three seasons
Seren Tamayo 50 starts in her TMU career
Bekah Micu appeared in three games in 2021
Sinclair Francescon scored game-winning goal in CIF State Regional Championship
Katelyn Leonhart freshman from Vista Murrieta HS
Mary Mobley freshman from Springs Charter School
FALL HEAD COACH Jim Rickard | 32nd season THEO KUDLOThe men’s cross country team made history in 2021 after capturing the team’s 12th consecutive conference championship. Led by back-to-back GSAC individual champion Davis Boggess, TMU returns five All-GSAC runners with the finish line being another conference title and higher national finish.
HEAD COACH Zach Schroeder | 17th season
Davis Boggess
2x GSAC Individual Champion
Daniel Rush
3x All-GSAC member
Cedar Collins
All-State team member in Colorado, 2021 Jack Warmack
Academic All-State selection
GSAC Champions; 7th at the NAIA Championships
On Nov. 5, 2022, the Mustangs will go for a 13th straight conference title at
TMU Women’s Cross Country is coming off its second consecutive conference title, the first time the team has ever gone back-to-back. Four of the five All-GSAC runners return, including GSAC Individual Champion and Freshman of the Year Hannah Fredericks.
HEAD COACH Zach Schroeder | 17th season
Hannah Fredericks
2021 NAIA All-American
Ellen Palmgren
2021 NAIA All-American
Rebekah Niednagel
3x California state finalist
Cora McClain
freshman from Colorado Springs
GSAC Champions; 6th at the NAIA Championships
On Nov. 5, 2022, the Mustangs will go for a 3rd straight conference title at the GSAC Championships in Rocklin, California.
DANIEL RUSH HANNAH FREDERICKSThe Mustangs started the season with 12 consecutive matches on the road. Head Coach Annett Davis saw this road test as an opportunity for several returning core players and six new players to prepare for the rigors of GSAC play and, hopefully, a run in the NAIA tournament.
HEAD COACH Annett Davis | 3rd season
Faith Tarver
led team in kills in 2021
Ruby Duncan 2021 All-GSAC
Jessica Swenning 2020 All-GSAC
Natalie Collins
GSAC Setter of the Week, Oct 18, 2021
Breanna Brooks 5'10" transfer from San Diego Christian Ellie Fraas freshman 6'1" middle blocker/outside hitter
9-19 Overall, 5-13 GSAC (9th)
On Oct. 15, 2022, the Mustangs will host Westmont College inside The MacArthur Center for a
The men’s team lost some key players from last spring’s GSAC championship squad, but it returns two-time conference Player of the Year Jack Dudeck. Add to the mix some talented freshmen, and this team should make another bid to claim a conference title and contend at nationals.
HEAD COACH Jacob Hicks | 5th season
Jack Dudeck
2x GSAC Individual Champion; 2022 NAIA Runner-Up
Mitchell Briley
finished tied for ninth overall at 2021 Danish Classic
Dondon Bumacod finished tied for sixth place overall at 2022 GSAC Championship
Easton Johnson course record 62 at Emporia Municipal Golf Course
Deokwon Johnson Lee averaged 75.56 on SCPGA Junior Tour
Lucas O’Dell represented Canada in the Euro Team Cup
Seth Bishop finished tied for seventh in 2022 Houston Junior Classic
GSAC Champions, T-19th at the NAIA Championship
On Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, the Mustangs will compete in the National Preview in Mesa, Arizona.
FAITH TARVER JACK DUDECK
The ladies return almost every player as the team enters its third year of competition. Sierra Pilgrim graduated last year but returns as an assistant coach for Head Coach Jacob Hicks. Still, the team is young and continuing to grow.
HEAD COACH Jacob Hicks | 3rd season
Isabella Huff three top-10 finishes in 2021 Nicole Southard finished fourth in the TMU Spring Invite
KEY NEWCOMERS Hannah Ulibarri top 15 in AJGA Senior Showcase Peyton Grider three top-10 finishes in California Junior Golf events
LAST SEASON 6th at the GSAC Championship
DATE TO REMEMBER
On Oct. 11-12, 2022, the Mustangs will compete in the Danish Classic in Solvang, California.
Every athlete returns from last year on the men’s side, with added depth thanks to a solid incoming freshman class. Expect to see multiple team records fall and the team’s highest placings at the Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference championships and NAIA nationals.
HEAD COACH Curren Bates | 2nd season
JT Sears 11th in 200-yard freestyle at NAIA Nationals Xavier Gutierrez national qualifying time in 100-, 200-yard freestyles
KEY NEWCOMERS Andrew Crabtree freestyle Casey Cole freestyle Michael Longborough freestyle
LAST SEASON 7th at Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference Championships
WINTER
The women’s side has a strong freshman class coming in with some national title contending times. The team’s highest finisher and first swim All-American, Emma McMurray, will continue to compete for TMU in the butterfly. The record book should get some fresh ink added to it this year and, Lord willing, add some conference and national titles.
HEAD COACH Curren Bates | 2nd season
Emma McMurray All-American; fourth in 100-yard Butterfly at NAIA Nationals
Allyn-Ashley Bennett part of TMU’s record-setting 800-yard freestyle relay
KEY NEWCOMERS Kylee Sears freestyle Jasmine Biederman breaststroke
LAST SEASON 11th at Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference Championships
NICOLE SOUTHARD EMMA MCMURRAY WINTER XAVIER GUTIERREZSeven players return from last year’s highly successful team, with six newcomers joining the roster. The mix of veteran players with the incoming class should see the Lady Mustangs maintain their position as one of the most competitive teams in the GSAC and rank nationally in the NAIA polls.
Ella Brubaker
2022 All-GSAC
Madeline Cooke was second in GSAC with 48 blocks
Lexi Hernandez was team’s fourth-leading rebounder as a freshman
Isabela Hernandez top-10 in career 3-point shooting % at San Diego State
Faith Brinkman
CalHiSports All-State selection 2021
Marin Lenz transfer from Midland College in Texas
32-4 Overall, 15-3 in GSAC (Conference Tournament Champions); Quarterfinalists in NAIA National Tournament
On Nov. 30, 2022, the Mustangs will host perennial rival Westmont at 5:30 p.m.
WINTER
Returning just five players from last year’s team, a program that was No. 1 in the nation just four years ago will welcome 10 new players. As a whole, the team has great size and physicality, both of which are needed to contend in such a tough physical conference. If the newcomers, some of whom have good college experience, can gel well with the returners, the Mustangs should contend for another GSAC championship.
HEAD COACH Kelvin Starr | 7th season
Kaleb Lowery
2X All-GSAC; team’s leading scorer and rebounder
Jordan Starr All-GSAC; three-year starter; team assist leader
Caden Starr averaged nine points per game over the last two seasons
Victor Ohia Obioha Pepperdine transfer
Kamrin Oriol averaged 19 ppg, shooting 45% from three as high school senior Christian Sweazie transfer from University of Pikeville, Ky.; avg. 9 ppg shooting 49% from three Deon Earley transfer from NCAA Division 2 Cameron University
Miles Mendes transfer from NCAA Division 1 Troy University
20-11 Overall, 7-11 GSAC (7th)
On Nov. 19, 2022, the Mustangs will host defending GSAC Champion Arizona Christian.
DAVE CALDWELL is the sports information director at The Master’s University. You can find more of his coverage of all 17 of TMU’s athletic teams at gomustangs.com
WINTER HEAD COACH Lisa Zamroz | 2nd season ELLA BRUBAKER CADEN STARR
FALL/WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW
CCurtis and Deann Lewis were not overly concerned.
On April 2, 2021, they drove their 5-year-old daughter Natalie to the hospital for an outpatient procedure to fix an ongoing heart condition.
Curtis and Deann, both graduates of The Master’s University, planned to return home with Natalie that evening. Soon, she’d be back in a ballet outfit and playing mom to baby brother Colton.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Curtis — TMU’s longtime women’s soccer coach — couldn’t enter the facility with Deann and Natalie. So, he asked Natalie what she wanted him to bring her the next time they met. “An orange,” she said.
Natalie was drowning in kids scrubs as she waited beside her mom. Deann wishes now she’d known they wouldn’t talk again for almost a year.
The four-hour procedure started at 8 a.m. Deann expected to receive a
call with an update around 10. At 10:36 a.m., her phone rang.
“Where are you?” someone from the hospital asked.
“We’re outside. What’s going on?”
“There were complications in your daughter’s procedure.”
“Is she alive?”
“Right now, she’s alive,” he said.
***
The Lewis family’s inspiring and tumultuous journey began that day.
Natalie nearly died on the operating table. Her heart stopped for 15 minutes, resulting in a severe brain injury. One day in the hospital turned into 107.
In some ways, life was even harder after she returned home. But as months turned into a year, Natalie began to take miraculous strides toward recovery.
Through it all, Curtis and Deann have faithfully represented Christ and sacrificially served their daughter. They’ve received support from the body of Christ, and they’ve used Facebook to share their experience with thousands of people across the world.
Ultimately, they hope to inspire others to trust in the goodness of a loving Heavenly Father who remains sovereign even in the darkest moments of life.
***
Natalie, the second of Curtis and Deann’s four children, was born with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a condition in which an extra electrical pathway in the heart causes arrhythmia.
On Good Friday 2021, she underwent a procedure to disrupt the extra connection. The operation — called a catheter ablation — is minimally invasive; doctors access the heart by guiding a thin, flexible tube through femoral arteries.
Around the two-hour mark, however, Natalie’s heart was perforated, sending her into cardiac arrest. After 15 minutes of CPR and an emergency surgery, her heart started beating again. But the lack of oxygen had caused severe damage to her brain. “The daughter you knew is gone,” a doctor later told Deann. There was more.
No one was sure Natalie could breathe on her own once doctors removed the tube running down
the back of her throat. And if she couldn’t, Curtis and Deann made the excruciating decision to let her go.
The waiting was almost unbearable. “We were praying, ‘God, give us the next breath. Give us the next breath,’” Deann says.
When doctors extubated Natalie, she didn’t immediately respond. “You’re almost leaning in, like, ‘Ahh, come
on,’” Curtis says.
Then, a breath.
***
This was the first victory in a long, uphill battle.
An early opponent was the muscle tension caused by Natalie’s brain injury. During episodes of what’s
The Lewis family’s journey includes a heartbreaking trial and an incredible march toward recovery. Every step of the way, they’ve continued to faithfully serve Christ.Curtis and Deann grieved after Natalie’s procedure, but they didn’t grow bitter or cast blame. That laid the foundation for a remarkable testimony inside the hospital.
called “dystonia,” the tiny girl’s back would arch at an extreme angle as if she was being electrocuted.
One morning, Deann texted friends from church: “I’m praying God would just take her. She’s writhing in pain in front of me, and there’s nothing I can do.”
But God was working.
He had already placed one of Curtis’ former players as a nurse in the hospital. And with COVID restrictions, she was initially the only familiar face who could visit. She told Curtis and Deann that their interactions with Natalie could make a real difference in her recovery. That comment changed everything.
***
the nurses were doing. Each Friday, a friend of Curtis and Deann’s brought snacks for their caregivers. Items from Porto’s Bakery were always a favorite.
One day, a nurse told Deann and Curtis that their response of love and hope had opened the door to gospel conversations with coworkers she’d never been able to reach before. “Keep doing what you’re doing,” she said.
On another occasion, Curtis led a nurse to faith in Christ.
To be sure, there were plenty of tears and times when it felt as if they’d never leave the hospital. But Curtis and Deann relied on the Lord moment by moment, entrusting their feelings to Him, believing that He loved their little girl more than they did.
***
From the beginning, Curtis and Deann refused to blame anyone.
After the procedure, Curtis hugged the doctor. Deann said she believed God had a plan.
“Today is Good Friday,” she said. “Natalie has trusted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. We know where she’s going, and if this leads to your salvation, it’s worth it.”
This laid the foundation for a remarkable testimony.
Members of the hospital’s staff watched as Curtis and Deann grieved without growing bitter. They couldn’t understand why the couple didn’t vent the hurt they obviously felt inside. Instead of demanding more be done for Natalie, they wanted to know how
Staff members at the hospital showed Curtis, Deann and Natalie exceptional love and care during their extended stay. Even now, the family remains in touch with several of the nurses.
Support also came from the body of Christ.
For the first month, no one could visit. But members of Curtis and Deann’s church stood in the parking lot across the street from their window and prayed. They posted signs on a nearby fence. One read, “We love Natalie. Jesus loves you more.”
After the family returned to their home in Palmdale, California, relatives and friends dropped off meals, cleaned the house and
Features Curtis, the winningest coach in TMU Women’s Soccer history, guided the Mustangs with a heavy heart last season. Here, you can see a “Pray for Natalie” pin on his gameday polo.watched the kids. Women from Faith Community Church — where Curtis serves as missions pastor — came daily to help Deann with home-schooling so Natalie could receive one-on-one attention.
Jared Kira, a TMU graduate who runs a custom apparel business, printed 1,000 “Pray for Natalie” T-shirts, donating all the proceeds to help with Natalie’s care.
An even larger community began to form online.
The Facebook page “Pray for Natalie” was born out of necessity. Curtis and Deann couldn’t meet the demand for updates and prayer requests themselves, and the platform provided a central spot for information.
Over time, the page morphed into a ministry. Curtis and Deann shared heartfelt posts about Natalie’s story and what the situation was teaching them about God.
They rarely glossed over challenges.
After Natalie’s release from the hospital, the next five months were brutal. Her weight dropped to 29 pounds. She felt and looked like “a bag of bones,” Deann says. Natalie vomited in bed and in the car. She gagged on saliva, and bowel movements were hard to come by. Curtis and Deann felt they couldn’t leave her alone, even for a second.
“You were living on anxiety and adrenaline,” Deann says, “waiting for the next moment when you had to jump into action.”
At times, caring for Natalie and their other three children was overwhelming — even for Deann,
who before Natalie’s injury worked as a police dispatcher. Natalie needed attention. Haven, a toddler, wanted a snack. Baby Colton climbed the stairs. Titus, the oldest, hid away from it all. Curtis juggled the roles of father, husband, coach and pastor.
Like never before, Deann and Curtis relied on God’s grace. “God will carry us,” Deann said. “God will sustain us.”
Before the injury, Deann would tuck Natalie in every night and blow her a kiss from the doorway. Natalie returned the affection by smacking
her lips. Now there was silence.
One night, after Natalie fell asleep, Deann laid beside her and cried. She told Natalie that she and Curtis were sorry for choosing to do the procedure — sorry all of this had happened. Over and over, Deann whispered: “Be strong and courageous, for the Lord your God will be with you.”
Natalie needed courage.
Like her mom (a hall-of-fame soccer player at TMU), Natalie never lacked toughness or determination.
There’s never a shortage of activity in the Lewis household, so Curtis and Deann have to work as a team. The kids, left to right, are Titus (9), Natalie (7), Haven (5) and Colton (2).
But as she weaned off medication, she became more aware of overwhelming challenges. She couldn’t communicate. She couldn’t walk. And she didn’t always want to practice either skill. But in those moments, Deann would remind her, “I love you too much to leave you like this.”
In a “Pray for Natalie” Facebook post, Curtis connected Deann’s words to Philippians 1:6, “For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (LSB).
“Oh, how God loves us too much to leave us, His children, like we are,” Curtis wrote. “Dear children, listen to your Father and keep pushing on. Each baby step, over time, really does make a difference.”
The response to Curtis and Deann’s transparency and Natalie’s need has been remarkable. The Facebook group has grown to more than 9,000 followers. Most posts receive hundreds of likes and dozens of comments. Curtis and Deann read each note of encouragement. They estimate that someone in 72 countries and every state in the U.S. is praying for Natalie.
“I would never wish this on anybody,” Curtis says, “but I do wish the average Christian could experience the body of Christ like we have.”
God has also provided financial support.
A GoFundMe page has raised more than $85,000. A church in the Midwest raised another $70,000 for a new family van. A yard sale brought in $14,000.
This has allowed Curtis and Deann to take a multifaceted, holistic approach to Natalie’s recovery.
They’ve weaned Natalie off medication, given her supplements, and employed a variety of treatments — like mirror, vibration, and primitive reflex therapies — to stimulate neurological and motor function.
They’ve also attempted to leverage the body’s own natural healing processes through platelet-rich plasma injections and stem cell therapy (using Natalie’s own stem cells).
Natalie also spends two hours daily inside a soft-shell hyperbaric chamber. The inflatable chamber ultimately delivers highly concentrated oxygen to the parts of her body still in need of healing.
Around 9 a.m. each day, a team of speech, occupational and physical therapists (including TMU alumni Leticia Pena Fernandez, Bobbie Gardner (Roberts), and Hannah Fuller, among others) begin arriving at the Lewis home. The last caregiver departs about 4 p.m. “I love everyone on our team,” Deann says.
As far as progress, Curtis and Deann say December 2021 was a turning point.
Since then, Natalie has put on weight. She’s gained dexterity in her hands, allowing her to color mostly within the lines.
She’s progressed to wearing normal underwear and using the toilet. She smiles and laughs and plays with her siblings. She walks with assistance.
TMU alum Jason Wick created “Pray for Natalie” buttons that the Lewis family distributed to people in the hospital and at church. “It’s amazing how much support you feel when you see a button being worn,” Curtis says.
At times, she wobbles short distances alone. Baby steps.
In February, Natalie began to say words like “help,” “okay,” “dada,” “book” and “bye.” One day when Haven completed a summersault, Natalie said, “Bravo.”
She gets excited when she sees improvement. These days, she’s speaking in full sentences.
“God is just doing these unbelievable things,” Curtis says.
***
So, what comes next?
Curtis and Deann’s prayer is that on April 2, 2023, the two-year anniversary of the procedure, Natalie will be able to tell her own story.
Until then, they’ll continue to share their journey in hopes of inspiring others to trust the Lord.
PHOTO BY ANNIE VLADOVSKA
Master’s alumnus was a committed husband, father and follower of Christ.
BY MASON NESBITTSeptember marked the 25th anniversary of the heroic death of a former Master’s student.
Mark Stall, who attended what was then The Master’s College in the late 1980s, is the only officer in the history of the Boise Police Department to have been killed in the line of duty.
Stall was a committed husband, father and follower of Christ who left behind a remarkable legacy. He was 29 years old.
Arnold Rubey — Stall’s father-in-law — reflected on Mark’s legacy: “The police chief that Mark served under said, ‘There could not have been a more ideal officer as far as character than Mark Stall.’ He had that kind of reputation.”
Mark attended TMC from 1986 to 1988. There, he met Cheryl Rubey, going on to marry her at Grace Community Church in 1989. Around that time, Mark accepted a job with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
After five years, Stall decided to move his family to Boise to be near Cheryl’s family and because it was safer, according to Arnold Rubey.
On Sept. 20, 1997, Boise Police officers stopped a car for a traffic violation, according to an article on the city of Boise’s website. When the two occupants refused to comply, the article says, Stall responded as a backup officer.
The two occupants exited their vehicle and opened
fire on the officers, striking Stall just above his vest, according to the city. Stall’s sacrifice that day remains fresh on the minds of many. He has been honored with a locker that bears his name and likeness inside the police department. And in 2011, the city council named a West Boise street “Mark Stall Place.”
“Members of the Boise Police Department thank Officer Stall for his service, and his family for their sacrifice,” reads the article on Boise’s official website. “They are owed a debt this department and community can never repay.”
Arnold Rubey performed his son-in-law’s funeral, which opened the door for Rubey, a pastor, to serve as chaplain to the Boise Police
Department for 17 years.
“We’ve received stories of people coming to know Christ as a result of Mark’s story impacting them,” says Rubey, who wrote a book about the incident and its aftermath, Fallen Brother in Blue. “We had one couple tell us they were headed for divorce, and Mark’s death turned them around and changed their whole relationship with each other.”
Mark and Cheryl had two daughters, Jonelle and Julia, who were 6 and 3, respectively, at the time of their father’s death. Cheryl and the girls still live in the Boise area.
“Generally speaking, they’re doing alright,” Arnold Rubey said. “This was obviously a very deep grief for Cheryl. September is a hard month for her because that’s the month her oldest daughter was born and that’s the month she lost Mark. It’s always there.”
Each May, Cheryl, her daughters, and many others gather at the Idaho Peace Officers Memorial in Meridian, Idaho, to remember fallen officers like Mark from across the state.
“It’s an emotional thing,” Rubey said. “It’s not like an ordinary death. It stays fresh because of these sorts of things.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF BOISE
THIS SCHOLARSHIP IS A SMALL TOKEN OF OUR APPRECIATION FOR THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO SERVE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS. OVER THE YEARS, MANY TMU ALUMNI HAVE CHOSEN THIS PATH, AND WE GREATLY APPRECIATE THEIR CALLING AND SACRIFICE.
The Red & Blue Scholarship is for students who are dependents of parents currently working full-time in law enforcement or fire departments. The scholarship is up to $14,000 ($3,500 renewable across four years). This scholarship is for new undergraduate students applying for 2023 to any on-campus program or major and may be combined with academic scholarships and other aid.
1 Peter 2:4-10 is a rich section of Scripture that deals with the topic of spiritual privileges.
So very often when we study the Bible, we're talking about spiritual duties, aren't we? Very often we're being exhorted. We're being commanded. But in my judgment, there aren't really any imperatives in this passage. This is all a list of our privileges – what is ours because we are Christ's.
Now, what does it mean to have a privilege? The privileged are those who belong to a class that enjoys special favor. Certainly, that's true of believers. We as Christians belong to a class who enjoy special favor. We have rich spiritual privileges in Christ.
Let's begin at the beginning, with what initiates all of our spiritual privileges: “And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God …” (1 Peter 2:4).
My, what a great truth that is! We often say as Christians, "I came to Christ," and that is exactly the expression that Peter has in mind. This begins at the time of salvation when you come to Christ in faith:
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
“Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me will never hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst’” (John 6:35)
Initially, you come to Christ in salvation. But that is not the total meaning that is conveyed in the verb. The verb here, with its pronoun, means to come with the idea of staying. The idea here is of coming to Him to remain in intimate personal communion, fellowship and abiding. In fact, this word, proserchomai, is used of drawing near to God for continuing worship. It's used that way in Greek translations of the Old Testament.
One form of this verb is the noun “proselyte,” which means a person who was far off who drew near. It is the normal word used in the book of Hebrews for coming near to God to remain there and worship Him.
Spiritual privilege begins when you come to the Lord Jesus Christ and is sustained as you remain there.
We could say it this way: “Coming to Him” is a phrase in which Peter implies the whole movement of the inner life toward communion with Jesus Christ. That's where spiritual privilege begins. That's what gives us an advantage over the rest of the world. Because of Christ, we are the privileged, favored and blessed.
This post is based on a sermon Dr. MacArthur preached in 1989, titled "The Believer's Privileges, Part 1: Union." Find more posts from Thinking Biblically at masters.edu/thinking-biblically. Follow us on Twitter or Facebook to receive updates when the latest posts are published.
Highlighting Alumni Serving the Lord in Vocational Ministry
After graduation from Los Angeles Baptist College, David and Cherylyn Hegg got married and began what turned out to be a long road through seminary and into pastoral ministry.
After beginning at Northwest Baptist Seminary, and then finishing at Western Seminary in Portland, David placed himself under the leadership of Fellowship Bible Church asking the elders there to help him ascertain his “call to ministry.” Ten years later, they did so. During those 10 years, he worked in the corporate world while serving as the college leader in his church, especially on the campus of Pacific Lutheran University.
In 1991, the Heggs moved to Illinois to take an associate pastor role, and in 1993 they returned to California where David took the role of senior pastor of Northpoint Church in Corona. During their 16 years there, he also began teaching
at The Master’s College as an adjunct professor. In 2008, quite unexpectedly, he received a phone call from Dr. John Stead asking him about moving to Santa Clarita and Grace Baptist Church, which ended up happening in February 2009.
The joy of pastoral ministry is bound up in three things for David. First is the great privilege of preaching the Bible the way it was written. Second is the privilege of continuing to read, study, learn and apply the truths of Scripture first to his own heart, and then to those he is honored to serve. Third, is the privilege of helping mentor the next generation of expository preachers.
He also greatly appreciates the
David (LABC, ’77) | Cherylyn (LABC, ’77)
Abby | Ellen | Andy
opportunity to teach Theology, and Sermon Preparation/ Delivery each semester at TMU, which he believes is the best Christian university in the country. Cherylyn and David will celebrate 45 years of marriage this year, and they continue to be amazed at God’s great grace in their lives.
Spiritual and physical stamina; a deepening sense of godly wisdom in leading Christfollowers to live holy and winsome lives in the midst of an increasingly hostile culture; and an ever-increasing joy in the outstanding grace, love and truth of God.
David & Cherylyn HeggChapel is a vital part of The Master’s University, complementing a student’s academic and spiritual experience and providing the campus community with a dynamic worship experience. Three times each week, students, faculty and staff gather for a time centered on the expositional preaching of Scripture. Speakers include pastors, missionaries, faculty members and Christian leaders. You can watch the livestream at masters.edu/live, or on YouTube where you can also browse previous chapel videos.
TMU CONNECTION
David graduated in 2013 as a political studies major, and Brooke graduated in 2015 with a degree in English, and later in 2017 with a teaching credential.
WHERE THEY'RE AT Frazier Park, Calif.
ON THE JOB
Brooke works as a ninth-grade honors English teacher at Academy of the Canyons. David currently serves as deputy district attorney in Kern County.
FAVORITE MEMORY OF TMU
Brooke’s favorite memories are from deep discussions of literature with fellow English majors and Dr. Horner, Prof. Suzuki and Prof. Chua. David loved working with the cross country team and taking classes with Dr. Chou, Dr. Frazer and Judge Crawford.
They ask for prayer that they would be lights in their workplaces, as well as for health as they anticipate the arrival of their first baby in September.
CHILDREN
Ethan - 18 | Ellie - 16 | Lucy - 14 | Bryson - 12
TMU CONNECTION
Michael and Danielle both graduated in 1998 –Michael as a music and communication major, and Danielle as a speech communication major.
WHERE THEY'RE AT Van Nuys, Calif.
ON THE JOB
Michael served as a music pastor for 20 years, and he now works as a realtor and property manager. Danielle homeschools their children.
FAVORITE MEMORY OF TMU
Michael’s favorite memory is meeting Danielle on the first day of their freshman year. He also fondly remembers dorm life. Danielle’s favorite things at TMU were professors praying before class, building lifelong friendships, meeting Michael and learning through the lens of a biblical worldview. (And shepherd's pie!)
HOW CAN THE TMU COMMUNITY PRAY FOR YOU? Pray that we would remain faithful to these four things: our Savior, each other, our children and our church.
In this photo from the 1982-83 school year, Dr. John Stead speaks in chapel at what was then Los Angeles Baptist College. Does anyone else look familiar?
AMOUNT: $1000
These scholarships recognize the diligence and organization of students who apply early for a Fall 2023 traditional undergraduate program. To be eligible, a student must complete their application (opens September 1) and be admitted prior to November 1. Qualifying students automatically receive this scholarship, with no further documents required, and they remain eligible for additional scholarships and aid. This is a one-time, first-year scholarship.
AMOUNT: VARIES
TMU offers scholarships specifically for students who are dependent on a parent working full-time in law enforcement or for a fire department. We also provide resources for our veterans, active duty service members, reservists, and their families to help them navigate the unique financial aid resources and benefits available.
AMOUNT: $5,000/ year, up to $20,000 across four years
These scholarships are available to new students whose parents hold a degree from The Master’s University (TMU), The Master’s College (TMC), or Los Angeles Baptist College (LABC). The Alumni Scholarship is a part of the TMU Community (TMUC) Scholarships. TMUC Scholarships cannot be stacked with each other but can stack with most other forms of aid.
AMOUNT: $18,000/ year, up to $72,000 across four years
This competitive scholarship is awarded to full-time incoming freshmen on the basis of academic merit and an interview process. Applicants must have a weighted high school GPA of 4.00 and an SAT I score (Critical Reading and Math sub-tests only) of 1350, or an ACT score of 30, or a CLT score of 91. The scholarship is renewable with a college GPA of 3.5.
