Master Divers #EverydayMay

Today I graduated with my Masters in Intercultural Studies. I have donned the regalia, walked the stage, received the hood, and moved the tassel. After 19 trips in 19 months to San Francisco, 11 cohort members to team-up with, multiple projects to manage, 5 weeks in Oman to conduct ethnographic research, 100 pages of research to compile, and a capstone paper to present... it is finished!

I am not the same person that I was when I started. I have grown and have been stretched in more areas than I thought were possible. I walk away today with rich and meaningful experiences because of the amazing other 10 cohort members I got to share this process with and the fantastic faculty at Union University.

With an ever shrinking world and issues of war, poverty, globalization, human-trafficking, genocide, revolutions, and non-state actors coming to the forefront, I have never been so thankful to have received tools needed to help navigate these complex spaces. Dealing with questions pertaining to issues such as developing nations, poverty, global resources, and terrorist organizations there are no simple answers. It is normal to want to take these complex issues and try to fix it with simple and straight forward black or white answers. But my degree has taught me to paint these blank and white areas with grey paint. I have learned to appreciate other perspectives and theories through an inter-disciplinary approach that help to understand all that is to be considered when working cross-culturally. I find myself rooted in my biblical worldview but able to take on different lenses and perspectives to fully operate in that middle or gray space.

After examining global issues around the world, I have never been more convinced of the need for the Gospel. There is no hope without the Gospel. No hope. There is such a great need for professionals from all academic disciplines to collaborate and to understand the global impact possible through their ability to work in cross-cultural and international settings. As globalization causes the world to get smaller, there has never been a greater time in history for the Church to have a global impact that will change history forever in the Kingdom of God.

So tonight, I am thankful to be sent out in the world. I am hoping to be an open hand to serve God better because of the knowledge and experiences that He has stewarded to me in my graduate endeavor.