Brent Dongell is a professor at Southern Wesleyan University and has been for two years. He works for the Department of Religion, and he definitely sets his standards high. He is inspired, has goals set for his students, and most importantly, he is passionate about Jesus Christ as our savior. I spent the afternoon with him and asked several questions.

Being curious of the origins of everyone, I brought up my own, and Brent followed through describing his origins. He was born in Greensboro, North Carolina, and he spent a little time here. However, he and his family moved to California, and this would be where he spends much of his life growing up. When he was old enough for college, he went to Indiana University to study ministry. In his mind, he was already set on what he wanted to do because of his parents. His dad is a pastor, and his mom is a 5^th grade teacher. Both elements would conjoin and fuel the inspiration of his studies.

When asked about his inspiration to become a minister, he mentions his parents and the example they provided for him. He felt inspired by the way they would lead each other through the hard times and in the good times. They always kept the Lord first. They held a passion that was very immense in intensity, and it surrounded him every day, almost like a mother holding her child closely.

As the conversation went forward, he discussed his progression of faith. In 3^rd grade, his inspiration for following Jesus truly came to his radar. In 6^th grade, it became more real to him, and he states: “He died for me, so I live for Him!” In his 12^th grade year, the calling of the Lord became stronger. He was at a Christian Conference, and it was here that he knew. He knew for a fact that he wanted to be a part of the ministry and what they set out to accomplish in life.

This conversation intrigued me and, I inquired about his ways of maintaining his relationship with the Lord because, in this world, the maintenance of a strong relationship is hard. He was happy to answer! “He is the Son of God, and He has the most loving way to go about living,” says Brent Dongell. He states that integrity is a huge deal, and that he is very extraverted. However, despite being extraverted, he knows that he has duties to take care of, and integrity revolves around doing what someone must do. For example: “You have to turn in college assignments, and if you do not turn them in on time, there will be a punishment for it,” states Brent Dongell. “God calls us to take care of the world,” he remarks. God is the definition of integrity. He says something, and it will be done. Brent is the same way. He told me told me that it may take him some time to do, but he will always seek to accomplish what he has promised.

As the conversation continued, he mentions trust, and he has goals for his students to follow. He makes note of the word ‘trust’ as a key element for his students. “I want graduates to be people that can be trusted,” mentions Brent Dongell. However, he commenced to make me aware of the angry tirade that his students have inside the Department of Religion and outside. For this, he does his best to be gracious with his students, but he knows that the school rules do apply. Usually, these tirades are more bickering than anything, and college is a place to grow from it and through this process. He wants his students to be warriors of Christ, and to do this, he tries his best to show them by example, such as reading verses to deal with certain issues, prayer, and consulting the other department professors over things that demand a righteous influence.

Brent has favorite verses that help him to cope and deal with stressful situations of life, such as dealing with the students that cause a tirade. In our talk, he told me that the Book of Proverbs has been his go to since he was in middle school. If he is having a hard day, he will read through it for inspiration. The Book of Philippians also inspires him. His sister went through a terrible phase, and through this phase, he used this Book to ensure the element of humbleness and understanding of what his sister was going through. He did not go into details of what happened, however, so I did not pry into the situation. He ends this answer with his favorite Gospel. John is the Book of the Bible that he references to understand more about the life of Jesus Christ. It is more philosophical to him, and he enjoys it greatly.

He began to tell me about things that he did not mention in the beginning of the conversation, and he did this out of his free will without me ever hinting or asking. He discussed his single life and that he was single until the age of thirty. He knows that God has a plan for him, so he waited for the love of his life to come along. She did, and she was widowed at a young age. They married, and in this marriage, he accepted her two children graciously, and has been their father figure since the marriage. They are five and six years of age, and they are growing fast. He also told me that he is Canadian in origin. He apologized to me for not mentioning that sooner when I asked him about some of his earlier life.

As the conversation waned, he got up and shook my hand. He tells me: “Thank you for considering time for a conversation with me. I never would have expected this to happen, being a teacher here for only two years. I appreciate this very much!”

What I observed with Brent Dongell was a story of truth. God’s truth and love remained with him in all things, and his story continued to follow what God had for him. This is the stuff, the element, that helps Brent remain positive in all things in his life.