If you are reading this, you are probably curious about the title of this post. For those who do not recognize the phrase, it comes from the movie Forrest Gump as Forrest narrates a visit to the White House to be honored by the President. Forrest shares that the food was free, but he wasn’t hungry. He was thirsty, and because they was free, he drank about 15 Dr. Peppers.

For those who do not know (or maybe have forgotten the specifics of the 29 year old movie) Forrest Gump is a quirky, naive, and simple character who time and again finds himself in the middle of the most significant historical moments of his day. What makes this story so interesting is that Forrest never planned or expected to be in these situations. I’m pretty sure that is what made the story of Forrest Gump so endearing.

He kept ending up in situations that were way bigger and more significant than the simple man from Greenbow, Alabama. So when describing what made being invited to the White House to meet the president a great experience, he answered,

“The best thing about visiting the President is the food! Now, since it was all free, and I wasn’t hungry but thirsty, I must’ve drank me fifteen Dr. Peppers.”

Recently I had this phrase running through my had because I have found myself in a few situations where I’ve related with Forrest. Situations where I found myself thinking, I’m not sure how I ended up here, and do not have the words to express my experience.

This past week I traveled to Olivet Nazarene University from Battle Creek, Michigan where I pastor a small Nazarene church. You will not find us on a list of the fastest growing churches. I am a first generation Nazarene pastor who answered a call to the ministry years ago despite being terrified of public speaking.

And yet this past Saturday morning I found myself walking into Centennial Chapel on the campus of Olivet Nazarene University. I entered the front doors of the chapel for the undergraduate commencement , not as a student, nor as a spectator. I entered the chapel in academic regalia as a member of the Board of Trustees as part of the official processional.

While this is my first time participating in graduation as a trustee, this was my third time walking in a graduation processional at ONU, having received both my undergrad and graduate degrees at the school. When participating in a processional of this size you quickly learn the most important rule; just follow the person in front of you.

That person in front of me last Saturday was David Wine. He was not only one of my professors when I was an undergrad at Olivet, he was a mentor for me while I was a district licensed minster pursuing ordination in the Church of the Nazarene. So I followed Prof. Wine through the doors, down the main aisle, to the left at the break, down the side aisle, up the stairs, to a seat, ( my seat!!!) on the front row of the platform, almost directly behind Dr. Chenoweth, the President of the University. I sat there sharing the platform with the President, the Vice Presidents, and the faculty, all displaying regalia that represents years of scholarships and academic honors.

Medallions, funny shaped hats, robes with colors, patches and cords, all functioning as a glimpse into the world of academia; a world that I’ve visited for a while as a student and a one-time employee of Olivet, but definitely not one of which I’ve been a part to this extent. I didn’t have a medallion. I did have a funny-shaped hat, but it was the “normal” funny-shaped hat. I did not have any special patches or cords.

It was at this point while seated by the the university president, looking out at the graduates, their family, and their friends as they filled the 3,000 seat chapel that I anticipated a question that I would surely be asked later: “So how was graduation?” And the first thing that popped into my mind as a response to this imagined question was the phrase from Forrest Gump describing his experience at the White House meeting the President, “I must have drank me fifteen Dr. Peppers.”

I was now someplace I never imagined being. I did not feel like an outsider. How could I? I was nearly center stage. I was not experiencing imposter syndrome because this is not something I had worked towards or even desired. This was truly a surprising experience that I was receiving. And like Forrest, I drank it up; I took in as much as I could.

I am not ashamed to admit that I got emotional several times during the ceremony. Maybe it was because, as a parent of children whose school and social lives got turned upside down by a pandemic, I appreciated just how challenging it must have been for these students to have experienced that in the early days of the college careers. And yet here they are graduating. I do not think that I knew a single graduate personally, and yet I sat on the platform so proud of those students.

I started thinking about the faculty, staff, pastors and members of the local churches who cared for and encouraged these students so they could get to this point. It took a community to educate and equip these students. As a pastor I understood this as a glimpse of the Kingdom of God.

There was a great deal of pomp and formality in that commencement service, but I found myself focusing on some easily overlooked details of that I could see because of my unique position on that platform. I found myself captivated by the graduates as they walked from stage left to, in this order, shake the hand of Dr. Chenoweth with their right hand, receive their diploma with their left hand, face the photographer while smiling, then walk off to the stage right with their diploma ( a few students somehow managed to leave theirs with Dr. Chenoweth), and return to their seats.

I saw the graduates trying to time the pace of the walk so they didn’t get to Dr. Chenoweth before the previous student’s photos were taken, but also so that Dr. Chenoweth wasn’t waiting for them to get there. I saw the graduates extending their fingers on their right hand, preparing for the handshake, a full twenty feet before they engaged in that handshake.

While looking at their faces, I could tell the second that the graduates made eye contact with Dr. Chenoweth as they walked across the platform. For some it was a big smile appearing as they saw the finish line of their work just a few feet ahead. For others it was a head nod, like when seeing an old friend from across a room. Some graduates displayed a look of grave seriousness, as if they had to get this moment right; “do not celebrate before crossing the finish line.”

A few graduates expressed their feelings about the day by sharing some dance moves while they had the attention of this large audience. One graduate was “literally hitting the griddy” as he made his way to recieve his diploma. Even the way the graduates walked across the platform caught my attention. There were nervous walks, proud walks, walks that were so “swaggy” that hats fell off. There was even a walk that turned into a bear hug that engulfed Dr. Chenoweth, which somehow turned into the graduate being lifted off the ground by the president.

I do not know if any 2023 graduates will end up reading this. But on the off chance that it reaches a few of them, I would like to share the following message:

As an alum, a current ONU trustee member, a former ONU employee, and an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene, not only am I proud of you, but I am impressed by you. I know you’ve heard a great deal about the condition of world that you are stepping into and how many challenges may lay ahead. But I know something else that does not seem to be discussed often. Not only are you going into the world to learn to navigate it, but I am confident that you are going to change the world in a profound way. Your impact will not just be as individuals rising to meet specific challenges, but as a generation with deeply rooted values and a determination forged in the fires of political conflict, financial uncertainty, and a pandemic, you will reshape the world.

For any faculty and staff who might happen to read this, I know that the success of these students would not have been possible had it not been for you all collectively choosing to support them in ways that went beyond your job description. I saw the interactions the graduates had with you during the events of this commencement weekend. There were hugs, high fives, fist bumps, names shouted in celebration (both from students to faculty/staff, and from faculty/staff to students). There were moments like this while lining up before the commencement. Moments like this as we proceeded into the chapel in between two long lines of graduates. There were moments like this during the ceremony on the platform. Everywhere I looked, moments like this that seemed to announce, “we got through this together!”

Just as I said a moment ago to the graduates, I want to say this to the faculty and staff:

As an alum, a current ONU trustee member, a former ONU employee, and an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene, I want to say thank you to the faculty and staff of Olivet for being great stewards of the names Olivet and Nazarene. I’m proud of you, and proud to be connected to you. I have been shaped by my time at ONU with a deep love for the school and its critical mission. To be back on campus as an observer gave me the opportunity to stand back a bit and watch you all celebrate the results of a community shaped by the Fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23 ) It is a community that not only teaches scriptures, doctrines, spiritual disciplines, but is shaped by living them out. Thank you for sharing your lives in this way.

And as a parent with children in school during these last few years, I found myself wishing they were part of a community like ONU during all the confusion and disruption. My oldest is in high school and, while I always thought ONU would be a good option for him if he chose to go to college, I found myself watching the events of Commencement weekend hoping all the more that he might find his way to Olivet. Not because its a Nazarene school and I’m a Nazarene pastor. Not because my wife and I are both alums and were employees who enjoyed our time at the school. Not because in a world filled with questions, Olivet has all the answers (it doesn’t).

But I found myself thinking my son should go to ONU because of the people; the individuals who make up the faculty and staff, and the community that is created by these good people working together for the good of the students. Students can go to any college and get a degree. But you go to Olivet and get to be part of a community like this.

I know that there are some serious challenges ahead in Higher Ed. I know tough and important choices are being made every day that will shape the school for years to come. But it has never been more clear to me than when I was sitting on the platform in Centennial Chapel what makes ONU special. Its the people. The faculty and staff. The students. Together, creating a special community. My hope is that whatever the future holds for ONU, that every effort is made to protect and strengthen this community. This is truly the greatest asset that ONU has.

I am so grateful for my opportunity to be on campus as a trustee and to sit on the platform at graduation. Not because it put me in a distinguished group. But rather because it allowed me to see Olivet from an entirely new perspective. From my position on the platform I could see “the big picture” or the “view from 30,000 feet”. And it literally brought tears to my eyes.

Congratulations to the Class of 2023!

Thank you, faculty and staff!

In the days since commencement, as people have been asking me, “how was graduation?” all these thoughts have been in my head and I have a hard time coming up with a quick answer that explains it well. So my most common response has been, “I’m still not sure how I ended up there, but I must have drank me fifteen Dr. Peppers.”

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