Inspire, Spring 2006

24 Spring 2006 E s t h e r C h e s e b r o S m i t h ’ 5 8 B ack in 1954 when God led me to Cedarville College, I was a petrified freshman wondering how I could possibly do all that was asked of me. My four years were mind- and spirit-building: prayer in every class and chapel every day. Every professor and Christian service assignment left a positive touch on my life as during those days I regularly asked the Lord to help me to be doing what He wanted me to do. Through marriage, my husband’s passing, mothering, and grandparenting, God has always been in my life. To put it simply, Cedarville grew me into a young adult who became a responsible teacher and leader. Cedarville professors taught me well, and now God has placed me at the University of Indianapolis where I teach education courses and supervise student teachers. What a responsibility! I now see what Cedarville had to see in me that I didn’t see then. I want to thank Cedarville faculty and staff for nurturing a struggling student into a teacher. Yes, your vision came true for me because I now teach and touch lives forever. Esther has spent 43 years educating others: from 1958 to 1998 she was an elementary teacher, and in 1998 she began work at the University of Indianapolis, where she still serves today. A Collection of Memories: Cedarville Building Blocks B i l l W i l l i a m s ’ 7 7 W hen I arrived on Cedarville’s campus in the fall of 1973, I was like a newborn babe, longing for the pure milk of the Word that I [might] grow (I Peter 2:2). Having committed my life to Jesus Christ just a year earlier, I landed on campus with only a rudimentary understanding of the Scriptures. My K-12 education took place at a large urban public educational system, where my mind was filled with “speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God …” (II Cor. 10:5a). In great contrast, Cedarville University provided me with an education rooted in the Word. Through classes such as “Foundations of Education,” “Theology,” and “Biblical Interpretation,” I began to develop a Christian philosophy of education. Also at Cedarville, I met my bride, Ruth (Battaglia) ’78. During a chapel service in 1974, God called us to serve Him in the Christian school ministry. Over the years we have tried to live in obedience to that calling. Today Ruth and I help young people develop a Christian worldview at Worthington Christian Schools (Columbus, Ohio), where she is a kindergarten teacher and I serve as the superintendent. Cedarville faithfully fed me the Word. At first it was in the form of milk and later meat. God’s Word is unique in that way. He knew what I needed at the time to help me grow. More than 30 years later, I am still attempting to destroy the “speculations” and bring every thought under the obedience of Jesus Christ (II Cor. 10:5b). Theologians call it progressive sanctification; I call it “becoming like Him.” Our children, Josh ’01 and Melissa ’04, are fighting the same battle, but after 17 years of Christian education, I believe they are much better equipped. I am forever indebted to the men and women at Cedarville who poured their lives into me and my family so we can grow up and think and act a little more like Jesus. To put it simply, Cedarville grew me into a young adult who became a responsible teacher and leader.