Inspire, Summer 2005

6 Summer 2005 Friends are friends forever. Are they really? I remember having a best friend in high school. We supported each other, challenged each other, and did practically everything together. God used him to bring me to Christ, too. In those early days of my faith, he was the one who taught me the most about walking with Christ. I don’t know where I’d be without him. But today, he is not a part of my life. I have not talked to him in years. We have moved on, and our life together is just a set of vague memories — good memories for certain, but hidden behind years of school, family, and work. A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17 The other day I heard someone say, “I like to travel and meet new people.” I thought about how this statement reveals a flaw in our relationships. Traveling and meeting people are fine, but for many they are an end in themselves. We have many acquaintances, but few real friends. In fact, among teenagers, many of their relationships are technology- based. They instant-message “friends of friends of friends” and carry on regular conversations in computer shorthand for months. Many times they have never met face-to-face. E-mail and cell phone text-messaging provide other avenues for developing relationships and making “friends.” Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. Proverbs 27:6 Without friends, true friends, we find ourselves cast adrift in a shallow sea of contacts and part-time associates — people who are a part of our lives by accidents of geography and timing. The role of a friend is to care deeply enough for us to hold us accountable for our lives. We share an honesty and love toward each other that is at the same time wounding and healing. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up ! Eccles. 4:10 True friendship is one of the greatest blessings God allows us to enjoy. Life seems so dark if we travel through life alone. But knowing there are friends there to accept us and pick us up when we fall gives us confidence to see clearly and live boldly. No, friends are not friends forever unless “the Lord’s the Lord of them.” This is what “Friends for Life” means at Cedarville University. President’s Pen Dr. Bill Brown President What’s Abuzz Two University departments — athletic training and business administration — recently received accreditation. The Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) officially accredited Cedarville University’s athletic training education program. This honor means that all Cedarville students who graduate with a degree in athletic training automatically will be qualified to take the Athletic Trainer, Certified (ATC) exam administered by the Board of Certification. The accreditation process was laborious. Dr. Evan Hellwig, chair of the department of athletic training, explained, “Following a mandatory candidacy period, we submitted a self-study that addressed the accreditation standards of our athletic training education program. Last spring, a CAAHEP team of site visitors interviewed faculty, administrators, students, and alumni to verify that the material in the self-study was accurate.” CAAHEP is the largest specialized accrediting agency in the health sciences field. The Commission reviews and accredits more than 2,000 educational programs in 21 health science occupations across North America. Cedarville has offered a degree in athletic training since 1994. Generally more than 80 percent of the program’s graduates who attempt the Board of Certification exam earn the ATC title. The Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) announced it will grant accreditation to the University Department of Business Administration (DBA). ACBSP is the leading specialized accreditation association for business education. The DBA is the largest department at Cedarville University and offers majors in accounting, finance, international studies (global economics and international business), management, management information systems, and marketing. The department’s goal is to help students integrate biblical principles with business disciplines in a collaborative, technology-savvy learning environment. Athletic Training and Business Accredited