Miranda Alexander

Rev. Ken Dill is the Associate President for Spiritual Life and University Chaplain of Southern Wesleyan University.  Rev. Dill received a M.Div. in ministry from Emory University and a B.A. in Bible from Southern Wesleyan University.

Me: When did you first feel God call you into the ministry?

Dill:  That’s an interesting question, because I never really felt God call me into the ministry. I tell people I felt like God didn’t invite me into the ministry through the front door; I sort of slipped into the back door. When I was in high school, I was active in church and youth group. I had other interests of course. I had thought about being a sports’ writer or being a lawyer.  When I was in high school, our senior pastor had a heart attack.  It wasn’t fatal, he recovered,  but the last thing he could do was preach.  The associate pastor asked me if I wanted to assist in the services and I did.  I was doing things like the opening prayer and offering, and I rather enjoyed that. I thought it was a fun thing to do. One Sunday night they asked me to preach, so I did. In my junior year of high school, another church asked me if I would come and do a youth weekend and I agreed. The guy that asked me to come said “Are you going into the ministry? Have you thought about that?” I said, “Not really,” and he said, “Well, you need to think about it. I think you have a gift.” That had me thinking about it, and for me it was like I’m not so good at this or that so much, but I’m sort of good at this. When I started adding things up, I thought “that sort of looks like ministry.”  So, I said, “God, if this is what you want me to do, help me know it.” I got asked to speak at other things and I was like “that’s it, I’m taking it as your affirmation.” So no lightning bolt, no being struck, no going down at the end of a service; it was more of a gentle winding around kind of thing that happened in my junior year of high school.

 

Dill: Well, you know primarily, I’m in charge of the spiritual life of the university. I’m sort of like a campus pastor. My duties are basically the same as that of any other pastor. It is my responsibility to be concerned with the spiritual growth on campus. I set up the chapel services and find speakers for them. I also provide counseling for staff members and students during difficult times. Another one of my responsibilities is to assist in the interviewing process of potential professors and staff. But my overall duty is to be concerned with the spiritual life on campus.

Me: I heard you are a fan of reading and writing poetry, how often do you write?

Dill: Well, I’m a little on the lazy side when it comes to writing poetry. I usually wait for inspiration to hit. I know a good writer writes regardless of inspiration, but I am still growing as a writer. I often find inspiration in nature. I have written prose about birds and lines about beautiful flowers.  One time, my wife and I were up in the mountains and we came upon a garden with these large dahlias. Their heads were almost drooping and the line “beauty bowed its head” popped into my mind. Whenever an idea or line comes to me, I write it down and save it.  I usually come back to it and decide I need to flesh it out some more till it’s finished. I try to write poems at least two to three times a week. Sometimes, I don’t get around to it because I have to write a sermon and I want to put a lot of enthusiasm into that. I eventually hope to publish a book of poems along with some photos I have taken.

Me: Who are some of your favorite poets?

Dill: I like Robert Frost and how often he refers to nature in his poetry, such as “Birches” and “Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening.” I am rather fond of poems like that. They are inspiring. I also tend to keep a copy of Emily Dickinson on my nightstand. I like to read her poems sometimes before I turn in for the night.

Me: At what age did you fall in love with poetry?

Dill: When I was in elementary school, our teachers made us memorize certain poems. I suppose that is what sparked my interest. I also loved reading books as a kid. In school, they would pass out scholastic catalogs and I would always beg my parents to buy me a book or two. During the summer, my mother would take me to the county library and I would participate in the summer reading program. I have always enjoyed reading books that carry powerful messages, in fact, I make a personal goal to reread the books that made an impact on my life. A few of my favorites are The Chronicles of Narnia, To Kill a Mocking Bird, and Catcher in the Rye.  They are relatable and have strong messages concerning life. As far as poetry, I wrote my first poem when I was in the eighth grade. We were supposed to write a poem with a story-like quality, so I wrote a poem about myself as an old man looking back on life. In the poem my character goes through a drawer that contains odds and ends that hold sentimental values. I got this idea from watching my father empty out his pockets after work everyday into a drawer; this is a memory that has always stuck with me. I mean, think about it, the contents of our pockets can tell a story about who we are and how we live our day to day lives. I still have that poem somewhere; my son had read it and he was shocked that I wrote something like that at such a young age. But, yeah, that was when I first fell in love with writing poetry.