Spring 2020, #3

Hey PIU Students, this is the latest edition of the . . . President to Students  News.   Students Alumni, & Anyone else out there who is reading, As we saw in our opening chapel, The measure of excellence for Paul was doing what God led him to do. It had nothing to do with how he looked compared to others. (2 Corinthians 10:12-13) For him, the pursuit of excellence was a lifelong goal. He kept at it with a single focus. (Philippians 3:8-14) Those who settle for mediocrity won't achieve excellence. In fact, they often don't even rise to the level of being mediocre--middle of the pack. Aim at excellence. Speaking of excellence: This Saturday, several of our students will be attending the training session to be "encouragers" at the Festival of Hope with Franklin Graham, Michael W. Smith, and others. They'll be learning important skills that they can use to point others to faith in Christ. If you would like to join them, please let me or Mama Joyce know. Paul Drake has been encouraging our students toward greater physical fitness for as long as I can remember. He sent me this link to a brief PowerPoint/video, "What Happens When You Start to Exercise?" We'll meet again for our Encouraging Fitness time, 10:00 AM Saturday. Alex Tavarez reminded us to pick up instead of throw down.   Just a few days ago the world was shocked to hear of the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter and everyone else in the helicopter. Clearly, Kobe had pursued excellence on the basketball court, and from all I have read, he was continuing that pursuit of excellence after his NBA career.  In my nearly seven decades, I've seen a lot of lives that are described by "Could'a, Would'a, Should'a." I could have been a success if I would have done what it takes. I should have done that, but I didn't.  We are here to help you pursue excellence, from keeping our campus community clean, to caring for our health, to doing our very best in our classes, to getting out of bed on Sunday to worship with God's people. Let's do this! The Prez. PS: Don't forget February 6-8 is our Ministry Equipping Conference. It is about Christian Education in the Church. It is stuff you need to know. Pick up brochures in the front office.