Night School Classmates Found Encouragement, Confidence and Friendship

The next time something unpleasant pops up to interrupt your plans, take heart from Jessica Clasby. She’s come to believe “God has reasons for His timing.” About 10 years ago, while running a membership program for the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce, Jessica learned about Palm Beach Atlantic University’s evening classes for non-traditional students. As she heard PBA’s Dr. Jim Laub describe the Christian atmosphere and the leadership program, “something inside me just totally changed,” she recalled. Prior to that time, she’d been content with the associate’s degree she earned at a community college. But after hearing Laub’s […]

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Kindred Spirits Help Others

In 1 Corinthians 16 we learn the Apostle Paul saw a great door of opportunity for his upcoming work, but he also saw significant obstacles in the way. I want to tell you about two hard-working business students whose stories explain much about overcoming obstacles, taking advantage of opportunities and extending opportunity to others.  A pair of kindred spirits These two students never met, for they were generations apart, but I see them as kindred spirits. The first was Theodore R. “Ted” Johnson, who was born into a middle-class family in 1901. He worked his way through college and joined […]

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How to Be the Best Couple Minutes of Someone’s Day

Imagine you’re working behind the counter of a retail pharmacy. In front of you, elderly Mrs. Jones looks on with furrowed brow while you scan the computer screen for her prescription. Behind her, two more customers wait in line, as the phones ring non-stop. “Oh, I see,” you tell Mrs. Jones. “It’s an authorization problem.” She looks up at you in confusion, while the bell sounds to tell you a drive-up customer awaits. Welcome to the busy world of retail pharmacy. Amir Rahemi, a district manager for Walgreens, has felt the stress and problems of working that pharmacy counter. Minutes […]

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Spared from COVID? Offer Streams of Mercy

Walking out of our lovely, in-person commencement ceremonies last month, I found myself humming a classic hymn of the faith, thanks to Stewart Foster, talented organist from the Royal Poinciana Chapel in Palm Beach. The soft strains of Stewart’s music filled the spaces between the names called out as graduates received their diplomas. One particular hymn kept replaying in my mind, until I concluded: We should set up an Ebenezer after ending a year under COVID-19. I bet many of you know exactly the hymn I mean, and in your mind you’re singing along with me, “Here I raise my […]

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Cancer Survivor Shares Message of Hope and Service

Nursing professor Dr. Kathy McKinnon serves students and patients as an ambassador of hope. She communicates not with empty platitudes, but with the voice of experience, as one who truly has known hopelessness. Students at Palm Beach Atlantic University listened in rapt attention recently as Kathy shared her story in a special chapel service brought by the university’s Student Wellness Committee. They came for the topic “Hope in the Midst of Uncertainty,” their own uncertainties ranging from exam grades to relatives facing cancer. “I wanted to give you a little insight into my story with cancer,” Kathy told them, “so […]

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Life Lessons Learned Through The Magic of Music

How do you give a child the gift of music? I thought about that recently, when after a busy, challenging day, I reached for my violin and once again enjoyed the relaxing outlet it provides. I thought about my high school orchestra conductor: one of my favorite and most influential teachers. I realized he cultivated in me much more than a refreshing habit. He nudged me to always be my best, and that positively rippled throughout my life. A generation later, I saw a similar influence from music teachers of my own children. So as I pondered how Good News […]

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In Women’s History Month, Look Back Gratefully But Also Look Around

As I peruse the fascinating resources collected for Women’s History Month, I thank God for the suffragists and other pioneers in our land of opportunity, a land where opportunity hasn’t always abounded for all. But as I look back with gratitude, I also look around me to see many women today who inspire us by using the gifts God gave them: serving and leading, untethered by the stereotypes and expectations of culture. Consider some of the encouraging ladies we see within the Palm Beach Atlantic community.  Best Women at PBA Among many key female leaders at PBA, here are two […]

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Award-winning Med School Student Demonstrates Uncommon Leadership

As we look in the rearview mirror at 2020, we offer a collective “Whew! God got us through, but what a year.” Here at Palm Beach Atlantic University, as I look to the months ahead, I find fresh inspiration and leadership from PBA graduates, including our young alumni. Emmanuel McNeely, for example, points us to the kind of lifestyle that could bring hope and healing to our traumatized nation. The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) has named Emmanuel the 2021 CCCU Young Alumni Award winner. The CCCU is a higher education association of more than 180 Christian institutions […]

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Protecting and Serving Our Community

From medical school, through residency and with 27 years of research funded through the National Institutes of Health, I’ve been blessed with exciting opportunities to learn: understanding the marvels of the human body and exploring ways to bring healing. God’s creation, of course, is infinite, so I keep on learning. Recently, learning from undergraduate students stuck in isolation because of COVID-19, I’ve found refreshing lessons – lessons about what Dr. Deborah L. Birx calls “our community: our responsibility.” Community and Responsible Back in January, when I followed God’s call to leave the academic/medical field and become president of Palm Beach […]

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A Timely New Word In This Election Season

At Palm Beach Atlantic University we’ve coined a new word, one to help us explore and practice a powerful aspect of worship. Before I tell you about our new word, I must explain how at PBA we have precedent for creating such a special word. The founders of the University saw community service as a pillar of the Palm Beach Atlantic ethos. They believed serving others is one important way we worship God. So founding President Dr. Jess C. Moody and his wife, Doris, coined a word by combining work with worship. Thus they christened the PBA community service program […]

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