Cedarville Stories

Lives Transformed Emily Shanahan was born with cerebral palsy, a condition that impacts her motor skills. Through her life, God has used her keen intellect and determination to make a Kingdom difference. Emily is a graduate of Cedarville University and holds a master’s degree in Christian ministry and non-profit management. Together with her mother, Barb, she co-founded Empowering the Differently...

Ministry From Behind the Lens   Matt Black is a young entrepreneur with a creative eye and a heart for Christ. As the founder of Matt Black Media, Matt balances the growing demands of his burgeoning career as a performance photographer with his studies at Cedarville University, where he is a junior majoring in broadcasting, digital media, and journalism.  After high school, Matt served as an inter...

Helping Students Succeed The Cove, Cedarville University's Center for Academic Enrichment, is marking two decades of support for undergraduate, graduate, and dual-enrollment students. However, the idea for this amazing resource is even older, dating back to 1997 and the legacy of Dr. Pam Johnson, who had a heart for helping students succeed. This week on the Cedarville Stories Podcast, Cove staff...

Renaissance   Man Josh Strychalski wears many hats: sports enthusiast, actor, author, golf professional, entrepreneur, devoted husband, father, and child of God. He is a true Renaissance man. Josh has always had a passion for sports, and he spent several years in the world of professional golf, but his true love lies in storytelling. During his time as a Cedarville student in the 1990s, he was an...

Serving on the Sidelines   Whether on the gridiron or on the pitch, it was a summer of football for the Master of Athletic Training (MAT) students at Cedarville University. Six aspiring athletic trainers were in the facilities of NCAA Division I schools or on the sidelines with major league teams.  Two of these future trainers, Lauren Barnes and Jacob Bonville, share their summer stories on the la...

Fiercely   Competitive With a Faithful Witness College basketball is an exhilarating sport marked by a dynamic whirlwind of activity. This can also be said about the journey of Rob Jones, the newly appointed head coach of the Cedarville Yellow Jackets men's basketball team, as he describes the path to his courtside seat in the Callan Athletic Center. From neighborhood pickup games to college hoops...

Spend 100 Days With Warren Wiersbe, One of America’s Most Trusted Expositors Dan Jacobsen, the grandson of Dr. Wiersbe, has devoted the past two years to completing "Becoming New: A 100 Day Journey of Transformation through God’s Word," a devotional book that includes the heart of his grandfather’s work. In this week’s episode of the Cedarville Stories podcast, Dan shares his personal experience o...

Completing a Work, Continuing a Legacy Dr. Warren Wiersbe’s legacy continues to inspire, even five years after his passing, with the upcoming release of his latest work, Becoming New: A 100 Day Journey of Transformation through God’s Word , set to be published on November 5, 2024. This special project, completed by Dr. Wiersbe’s grandson, Dan Jacobsen, offers a chance for readers to embark on a me...

The Glorious End to a Vicious Cycle: A Foster Care Journey Justin and Cheryl Martens' journey as foster parents is a beautiful testament to the power of love, healing, and faith. They answered a call from God to break the cycle of generational sin, offering a haven of safety and hope for children in need. Over six years, they welcomed 23 children into their home, providing not just shelter but a n...

Love, Leadership, and Loyalty He’s battle tested. He’s a proven leader. And his loyalty to his country, family, and alma mater is a clarion call in his life. Brigadier General Todd Fogle of the United States Air Force, for his service to our country, was recently awarded the distinguished 2024 “Alumnus of the Year” honor by Cedarville University. His rise to Brigadier General, in Fogle’s words, is...

Seeking a Cure With Selfless Motivation   Dr. Samson Amos has always been driven by something deeper than personal success; his heart beats with a genuine desire to bring healing and hope to others. Growing up in Nigeria, he witnessed firsthand the ravages of diseases like sickle cell anemia and malaria. The suffering around him fueled his resolve to dedicate his life to pharmaceutical research, b...

A Full Circle Life Born prematurely at just 24 weeks and weighing under two pounds, Hayley Good began her life struggling for each minute of her life. With a heart defect and underdeveloped lungs, her prognosis in 2002 was grim. The first two months of Hayley’s life were marked by tragedy for her family. First, they lost Hayley’s twin sister. Shortly thereafter, Hayley underwent a precarious surge...

Resting in God’s Grace   “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”   These poignant words are among the most renowned utterances of Job, the emblematic figure of faith in the Bible. This was his reaction upon learning of the tragic loss of all his children in a single natural catastrophe.   While few can truly comprehend the extent of Job’s sorrow, Daniel Foste...

A Biblical Worldview Behind the Badge   Ready for an inspiring listen? Meet Joel Misirian, a police officer whose journey began with a high school project in suburban Milwaukee, where he first discovered his passion for protecting and serving others. That one experience set Joel on a path that would shape his entire life and career.  Joel continued his journey at Cedarville University, where he pu...

From Mascot to Global Worker Energetic, enthusiastic, and excitable are top job qualifications for university athletic mascots. Jonathan Wu fit those descriptions as a college student in the mid 1990s. Jonathan brought Cedarville University’s “Bee” to life from 1994–98, long before Stinger was officially named in 2017. He danced, cheered, and electrified the crowd at basketball games, and his outg...

Telling God How Much Our Heart Hurts   Reach out to God with a confident and worshipful heart, even amidst your pain. Gain insight into the art of lamenting from Alyson Punzi, who tragically lost her husband at the young age of 24 and is now guiding her preschool-aged daughter in placing trust in God within a broken world.   Following the sudden and devastating passing of her husband, Frank, to ca...

Learning to Lament: Trusting God in a Broken World When college sweethearts Frank and Alyson Punzi married in 2018, they envisioned a life filled with joy as they raised a family and served Jesus with their gifts and abilities. Two years later, after the birth of their daughter, this plan was in motion and life was good. Frank was serving the Lord as an associate pastor, and their daughter brought...

A Passion for the Church   Get ready to be inspired by a life lived with purpose and passion. In this episode of the Cedarville Stories Podcast, we dive into the world of Dr. Jeremy Kimble, a man whose enthusiasm for life and dedication to his faith are nothing short of contagious.  As a Professor of Theology and the Director of the Synergy Initiative at Cedarville University, Jeremy doesn’t just...

The Generosity Monk, a Baseball-Loving Farm Boy   Dr. Gary Hoag, known as "The Generosity Monk," may not wear a monk's robe or embrace a vow of silence, but he finds deep fulfillment in spending solitary time with the Lord and is dedicated to empowering ministries worldwide through Christian generosity.   Discover how he became known as “The Generosity Monk” on the Cedarville Stories Podcast.  Gar...

Miracle Child is Wonderfully Made   While sitting in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), observing her newborn son and other premature babies fighting bravely for their lives, Melissa Gallagher was struck by the powerful truth that “these little ones were wonderfully made,” her words an echo of Psalm 139.  Melissa, who earned a degree in industrial and innovative design from Cedarville Univer...

Attention Sports Fans! Sports are Jeff Gilbert’s passion. What started as a hobby of cutting out sports stories from newspapers and magazines and crafting his own narrative for each story has blossomed into a thrilling career as the beat reporter for the Ohio State Buckeyes football team and assistant professor of journalism at Cedarville University. In this week’s Cedarville Stories Podcast, Jeff...

Go Big or Go Home Growing up in the rural countryside near Lafayette, Indiana, Dr. Trent Rogers, the Dean of the School of Biblical and Theological Studies and Associate Professor of New Testament and Greek at Cedarville University, has always embraced the mindset of giving his best or not bothering at all. Hear his story or join him in the studio on this week’s Cedarville Stories Podcast. Hailing...

Crossing the Big Ocean in a Little Boat   How long would it take to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean from the Canary Islands near Africa to Antigua in the Caribbean Sea? “Team Foar Brothers,” consisting of Thomas, Trent, and Tim Hamilton along with their nephew, Ben Clark, did it in 37 days, 10 hours, and 55 minutes.   Discover more about their incredible journey of completing The World’s...

Enduring Friendship   People move, life stages change, interests shift, and friendships fade or slip away. However, every now and then, two individuals develop an unbreakable bond and grow closer despite the ups and downs of life. A prime example of such a friendship is that of Cedarville University alumni Erika Weise and Carrie Holt, who are featured guests on the Cedarville Stories Podcast.   Th...

Adventure on the High Seas Embark on a daring odyssey with Thomas Hamilton on this weeks Cedarville Stories Podcast. Hamilton, along with two brothers and nephew Ben Clark, opt for a glorified rowboat as they seek to conquer the relentless forces of the Atlantic Ocean. Picture this: 3,000 miles from the tip of Africa to the Caribbean Island of Antiqua, facing 20-foot waves, relentless sprays of sa...