A Bonus Post on Godly Relationships:

Like many Christians involved in ministry, Kathy and I built our relationship, while in a college that was in many ways like PIU. I observe couples at PIU building relationships. That is good. I expect that some of those relationships will blossom into the kind of loving, lasting, committed marriage that Kathy and I have enjoyed for more than 45 years. That is very good. 

I can assure you that you don't get God's best from disobedience.

Before I came on the scene some Godly, loving people established some guidelines for building good relationships in this strange environment known as a Christian University.

Dating Relationships:
A Christian university, like PIU, is a great place to develop godly relationships. In order to keep all relationships godly we will together commit to the following godly principles:
Principle #1: Blessing
As a community, we wish to encourage healthy dating relationships on campus. However, we cannot bless what we cannot see. This is why we require these relationships to be visible and public. Couples need to resist the temptation to be exclusive and private. Behavior that is intentionally exclusive on or off campus is to be avoided. Keep your relationship “in the light” and include others in your time spent together. Seek godly counsel from staff and even other students, and God will bless your obedience to his ways.
Principle #2: Boundaries
Godly boundaries are clearly given in the Bible. These boundaries are for our safety and true satisfaction. Understanding these proper boundaries is very important. They include, but are not limited to:
 expressing physical affection
 amount of time spent (both in person and on the phone)
 commitment issues
 sexual activity

 

Students must not participate in any type of sexual immorality including premarital sex, samesex relationships, or any other sexually immoral behavior.  (PIU Student Handbook, p.19)

Let's be honest and face the truth. When we have special feelings for someone, it feels really good to be with them, even better to be in contact with them. Our guidelines and boundaries are there to help control the drive for more of those feelings that soon takes over these close relationships. I won't preach a sermon, here. I will give you an open invitation. Kathy and I are glad to help you build the kind of relationship that is pleasing to God and that will bring you, and the special person God sends your way a lifetime of joy. 

A couple of years ago when I was teaching PIU's Marriage and Family Class, in a hybrid setting, I posted a couple of things that might be helpful to you.

http://piucfor303.blogspot.com/2016/09/what-i-learned-in-locker-room.html 

I put together a brief autobiographical piece about how Kathy and I got together. It wasn't smooth. The first link is to a written version of the story. The second to a video. Both tell the same story.

http://piucfor303.blogspot.com/2016/09/plain-text-version-of-h-story_18.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je8AVYWsCJU&t=11s

Attachments area

Preview YouTube video Week 5 Howard & Kathy's Story

Week 5 Howard & Kathy's Story

#18

Please let us know, ASAP, if you are interested in summer school. Registration for both online and classroom classes is open. See Hartmut.

Greeting to PIU-Guam Students from the President. Here is some news and encouragement as we end the semester. Prez to Student News. Help with making yourself look good: Paul Drake sent around an announcement. I encourage, especially upper-classmen, to take advantage. "On Friday April 13 in the Research and Study Skills class we will be creating personal resumes. Resumes describe who you are, your education, experience, skills. Some jobs ask for one when you apply for a job. A resume collects all the usual information needed to complete a job application. For example, the Wendy'sapplication asks for the address of the high school(s) you attended. Who remembers that? It takes about 30-45 minutes to create and refine your resume. I'm willing to work with others interested, but prefer a class or group if possible." pdrake@piu.edu I have said it many times.  "You, students, are our best recruiters." We have a simple recruiting tool. It is engineered to encourage potential students to look further. We have it in both a digital and print format. Get a copy, whichever works for you, and follow the steps below: Pick out one or more friend, relative, or fellow church member whom you want to encourage to come to PIU. Get either a printed version of this "recruitment tract" or the digital version (Write me) Write a personal note to your friend. Don't just send them the tract. For some this will best be done by email, Facebook, or some other media you students have mastered. For others, postal mail will work best. For a few, the best way to handle this will be to sit down with your friend and have a conversation. Whatever is best, just do it. If you are sending your note to your friend via postal mail, you can just give it to Joshua. We'll buy the stamp. This one is most important. Stop by my office so we can pray, and discuss how to best reach out to your friend. It would be good to mention that because of the sacrificial service of our staff, and because our accreditation enables US & Compact students to use Pell grants, education at PIU is a bargain, for many of you, it is free.  Also pray for a team, the Houdes and Bento going to Chuuk this Friday. Micronesia needs leaders like PIU alumni who are  already out there doing the job. Some of your friends and relatives need what PIU has to offer. PIU needs students. focus! Are you interested in living in the dorm this summer? If so, and you haven't let us know, please let Alex or me know, ASAP.   Have a great week. hm By His Grace,     The Prez.

#17

Please let us know, ASAP, if you are interested in summer school.

Greeting to PIU-Guam Students from the President. Here is some news and encouragement in this very busy time. . . . Prez to Student News. I was a happy president as I sat in the two chapels this week. Hearing the report from the Saipan team and listening to the testimonies today encouraged my heart. The Tuesday chapel, presented by the Mission Team is here. They are an example of people taking advantage of an opportunity. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Ephesians 5:16 (NLT) Here are some opportunities that are before you: Many of you have the opportunity to finish well this semester. Don't let it get past you.   Representatives from Rauchholz International Consulting will be here Saturday and Sunday to recruit teachers for Chuuk. You should have already received an email. Let me know if you are coming, so we know how much pizza to get.   We have been doing a brief chapel service each Wednesday morning at the Evangelical Christian Academy, a small school of mostly middle-school students. If you would like to go with us to sing, share testimony, etc. talk to Scott or me.   A team will be going to Chuuk to do recruiting. Please tell your friends there to watch for them. They will be there 4/13-17. Pray for PIU. Pray that we will make the most of our opportunities. Have a great week. hm By His Grace,     The Prez.

#16

Welcome back, Saipan team. I look forward to hearing your report.

We are rapidly approaching the last month of the semester. Get your work in. Study hard. Do well

Clean and Green:

•  If you were part of the crew that was here over break, see Celia today sometime. We need people to clean classrooms and offices.
• If you were part of the Saipan team, or were off campus elsewhere, see me sometime this week. You need to do 1 hour and 15 minutes of good work.

Summer School:

• As soon as possible, let us know if you are interested in taking summer classes.
•  I am told that it is possible to receive Pell grants for summer classes. See Delight.
• If you need advice on classes that will help move you toward graduation, get in touch with Urte. Hartmut can help you, if you don't know how to do that.
• Again, I emphasize, as soon as possible, let us know if you are interested in taking summer classes.

Our Board Meeting went well. Kathy and I had a good Spring Break. I hope yours was good, as well.

Let's work together to have a great finish to this semester.

The Prez.

#15

Greeting to PIU-Guam Students from the President. Here is some news and encouragement in this very busy time. . . . Prez to Student News. Kathy and I stopped by the carwash this morning. We were impressed with the way the team had organized things, and the way they interacted with those who stopped by. More, though, we are proud of the reason for this carwash. We are praying for the Saipan Mission Team. Be sure to thank those who are supporting you in this effort and, when you do, let them know that I'm thankful as well. It's been a while since our students went on a mission trip. Alex and I aren't encouraging this trip because we have a drawer full of surplus money. We are encouraging it because it is the right thing to do. We should do what we can, when we can. I try not to say too much about myself in these notes, but I'll make an exception. After we got back from the carwash, I spent the rest of the day hanging a new door in the library. We are thankful for the anonymous donor who provided a nice fiberglass door. It took some figuring and some custom-made trim to get it done, but it is mostly done. I figure that since God has given me some ability in doing those kinds of tasks that I ought to help Billy out when I can. We ought to do what we can, when we can, for God's glory. I haven't been able to join you every Monday, but when I'm able I enjoy working with you at Clean and Green. I've been impressed with the good attitude of you students and with the quality of your work. Doing what we can, when we can, for God's glory goes beyond carwashes, mission trips, carpentry jobs, and Clean and Green. It needs to be a 24-7 way of life.Ours should be a life of service. I hope you are blessed by your church--I am by mine--but I hope you don't look on your involvement in your church only as a way to get something for yourself, but as an opportunity to serve. Doing what we can, when we can, for God's glory, can be as simple as picking up a piece of trash, or as hard as pushing through that tough class and getting a good grade. Let me share one more way you can do something to help PIU and bring glory to God. Tell a friend or relative about PIU. Encourage them to get in touch with our admissions department. They can get started at PIU.edu. Here are a couple of other notes and/or prayer requests: >  Dave Owen is at Stanford meeting doctors and     getting checked out. You can find out more on his blog. >  Pray for Karyn Sorenson. She blew out a major tendon in her foot. >  Be sure to see Mama Cel to pay your bill. >  Thank the Lord for those donors who support us, and pray for others to join them. >  Clean and Green is tomorrow. >  I'm looking forward to PIU Days, how about you? >  While some of you are on break, and others are in Saipan, the PIU Board of Trustees will be meeting.     Please pray for us. We need God's wisdom. Don't forget, let's do what we can, when we can, for God's glory. Have a great week. hm By His Grace,     The Prez.

#14

Greeting to PIU-Guam Students from the President. Here is some news and encouragement for you as we move into the hard-work part of the semester. . . . Prez to Student News. I still haven't gotten hold of the forms you filled out about church. We have had a few things on our hands, but know the encouragement is there. Get in a good church this Sunday. If you need a ride, let me know. Please pray for me. I'll be preaching at the Guam Chinese Christian Church. Thanks. You students did a good job with Clean and Green last Monday--on time, good attendance, good work. On the administration side, we had some glitches. We are working on those. We are trying to make C&G a better experience. This Monday we are going to try--a one-week trial--making C&G 1 hour and 45 minutes. We are working on some checklists for some jobs. Some of our jobs take longer than others. We are asking you students to be responsible. If you finish your job early, good work. Talk to one of your supervisors, or just find a fellow student, who still has work to do, and help them. This teamwork may just regain that 15 minutes, so 1:45could be a permanent feature. This Monday, there will be pizza for lunch. All who participate in C&G are welcome to join in. Congratulations to Gloria & Manner. Opportunity to Minister:  We are doing some chapel services at the Evangelical Academy--mostly middle school students. We need musicians, singers, peoople to share testimony. Let me of Scott know if you are interested. Here is another way to minister to our community. Paul, the Walker, Drake is looking for some students to help man, and woman, a water station for the Guam Marathon. Check with Paul. When you see him, bring him an aluminum can. It'll make him smile. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes on behalf of you, students. For example, One of our Board members told us about an opportunity to get a grant that could help us with some of our campus needs. One of our staff met with a consultant. At least 5 more staff have been working gathering information, filling out forms etc. Do you know whose job it is, right now, to do so such things? Nobody's. Normally this kind of work is done by the Advancement Department. Right now we don't have one. So a bunch of people who have other jobs to do stepped up, because there is an opportunity to help our students. Stop one of our staff or faculty and tell them thanks. Tell them the Prez sent you. Every day I hear about something out in our world that just isn't the way it's supposed to be. Last Tuesday I spoke in chapel about counter-cultural living. Alex followed up with a message about not allowing our circumstances to control us, but rather living for the Lord (Phil. 1) I figure the best chance we have to make a difference in this world is to let loose a bunch of sharp women and men like you, who will live out Matthew 28:19-20 and Romans 12:1-2. In other words: Study hard and Live For Jesus. And, Oh, yes, we need more students to fill in the gap that will be left by this spring's graduates. There is a lot of need out in the world. We need to send out a steady stream. Tell your friends and family. They should start applying now for admission this fall.     2018 February 8-10...........................Ministry Equipping Conference March 9-11…………………… PIU Days March 12-18 ...........................Spring Break and Saipan Mission Trip.                                                 Annual Board Meeting is in there, as well Check your PIU Email regularly. Feel free to share this email with alumni, and others who are interested in PIU. By His Grace,     The Prez.

#12

Greeting to PIU-Guam Students from the President. Here is some news and encouragement for you as we start a new year. . . . Prez to Student News. Hi, I'll be brief. You have a lot of reading coming up, and I don't want you to use up your energy too soon. Here is a great quotation:  Virtue is what happens when someone has made a thousand small choices requiring effort and concentration to do something which is good and right, but which doesn’t come naturally. And then, on the thousand and first time, when it really matters, they find that they do what’s required automatically. Virtue is what happens when wise and courageous choices become second nature.” Intentional habit formation is central to the New Testament’s call to holiness and sanctification. N. T. Wright If you would like to read the article where I found that--it's on self-control--send me a note and I let you know where you can find it. The whole article is great. A Word on Books: This is a school. We learn stuff. Much of what we learn is found in books. Always get your own copy of your class texts.  As much as possible we are emphasizing the use of digital books. Often they are free. Whether your class's book is digital or print, get your own copy. If your teacher gives you an opportunity to get a copy early take her/him up on the offer (See my Facebook announcements about PHIL 200 for example.) You don't need a special device to read digital books. A computer, tablet, or smartphone will work. If you need help ask. . Our library does not have enough copies of textbooks to go around. Get your own copy. Clean and Green: Over the next several editions of "Prez to Students" I'll talk about C&G. Please share your thoughts, questions, etc. with me. I want C&G to be a positive experience. I know contributing to making our campus a more pleasant place is something Kathy and I enjoy. (Well, I did find being up on the ladder fixing the B'ball court lights more scary than enjoyable, but mostly we enjoy it.) Let's talk about how we can make this a more positive experience. Let me start by saying THANK YOU, for all the work done last semester.   Way to Go! I regularly tell you that you, students are our best promoters. I recently went out to lunch with a pastor. He bragged on you gals and guys. I agreed! One of our newest alumni, Gloria Ikea is already involved in teaching in Chuuk Schools. She is also our volunteer Student Recruitment Assistant. If you have friends or family in Chuuk who need to find out more about PIU, tell them to get in touch with Gloria, gloria.ikea@piu.edu. Among other things, she can make an appointment with prospective students to take the English Placement Test. Owens: I spoke with Dave and Joyce. They are well. If you want more info. get in touch with me or Kathy. Be Thinking Ahead: We emphasize church involvement at PIU. Sometime around registration time, I'll ask you to let me know what church you'll be attending. If we can help you make a decision, get in touch with Alex, Dani, Kathy, or me. The "First Church of the Bedsheet" is not an acceptable choice. :) Don't say you don't have a ride to church. Talk to me and I'll make sure you do. I can assure you it won't be like this.   2018 January 10…………………….. New Student Orientation January 11-12……………….. Registration January 15…………………….. General Orientation January 15…………………….. Spring semester classes begin February 8-10...........................Ministry Equipping Conference March 9-11…………………… PIU Days LIVE 4 JESUS!