2025

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8

I recently participated in a Walk & Talk as part of my institution’s Spiritual Renewal Week activities. The event pairs a staff or faculty member with a student for 30 minutes of strolling across campus, chatting, and praying. I had never volunteered for the event before, but it sounded like a great opportunity to support our students, so I signed up. Then, being an introvert who had just signed up for an event that involves being paired with a stranger and talking to them for half an hour, I immediately regretted having done so. While simmering in my uncertainty about how the event would go, I heard the Renewal Week preacher mention that she had been praying for all of the events of the week including the Walk & Talk conversations. I was reminded and reassured that the Lord was going before me and would be with me during the event. I ended up having a good conversation with a student who really needed a listening ear and some encouragement, and I was honored to have the opportunity to pray with her at the end of our walk. As we were parting ways to head back to our regular afternoon plans, she commented that she had never participated in the Walk & Talk before and was really glad she decided to give it a chance. It seemed I was not the only one who had experienced a bit of trepidation about trying something new.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work….” Exodus 20:8-10 NKJV

I’ve worked in academic libraries for 37 years: 19 at Indiana University, 12 at Point Loma Nazarene University, and 6 at Lenoir-Rhyne University. All three institutions had some kind of faculty status for librarians, and all three allowed for promotion in rank, service on faculty committees, and other faculty responsibilities and benefits. For the most part, I think faculty status has been a strong positive for libraries and librarians. With these systems in place, I was promoted several times, received tenure at two different institutions, and served in leadership roles on faculty committees at all three institutions.

^“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 NIV

When we are facing adversity and a spiritual battle, it is easy to blame God and to beg Him to remove us from it. “Why me?”  is something that easily falls from our lips instead of gratitude and worship. We think if we are doing battle, God is picking on us, or just AWOL. Libraries and librarians, as well as Christians, are facing a lot of adversity and uncertainty currently, and many of us are facing them in our personal lives as well.