My Days at Mobile College

The University of Mobile turns 50 this year. In just a few weeks, the school will celebrate this landmark through what is called Project Serve--a university-wide day of service that celebrates the school’s culture of service. On Sept. 16 the entire student body, faculty and staff will volunteer throughout the Mobile, Alabama area. The event will build on the university’s ongoing commitment to Christian service as a visible reminder of the call upon each person’s life to be God’s hands and feet in a lost world.

Looking into my hazy future as a young man in the summer of 1985, coming off of a six-year road gig as a traveling musician, I knew it was time to face the "education" question. Actually, I was convinced of the necessity to finish my college degree, a journey that halfheartedly started in 1978. My road experience, albeit rich and rewarding, was a young man's game, and I didn't want to be living on a bus for the rest of my life! Although I loved playing music, I needed a sturdier foundation on which to build a family. Brenda Ramsey, a beautiful girl from Mobile (whom I'd met in September, 1983, at a chapel service while with Truth), was "the one" I wanted to marry. I also knew that ministry was in my future. So, a college education was a necessity for all of this to happen. With help from Roger Breland, I enrolled in what was then called Mobile College in the fall of 1985. Not only would I be taking on a four-year degree, but Mobile, Alabama became my new home.

I graduated in 1989 with honors. Brenda was by my side, and by that time, Josh and Betsy were toddlers. We were as poor as could be, but I had a full scholarship and student loans didn't bog us down after graduation. We would struggle financially for a few more years until I co-wrote a little song named Ancient of Days with Gary Sadler in the summer of 1991.

I visited the campus yesterday, barely recognizing the hallways and buildings through which I traversed for four years. I was a religion major and a music minor, so the trails I made over my tenure there were restricted mostly to a small cluster of classrooms and labs. I was reminded how I adapted to school-life quickly back then--my future depended on it! Memories were stirred as I walked around with my son, Josh, and niece, Megan (currently a student).

Some may ask me, "Why did you need college degree to be a songwriter?" I know it's possible to make it without one. But the richness of my studies in theology, writing and practical ministry have prepared me to be a better artist in the church. I am dedicated to serving God's people as a minister as well as a musician.

My days at Mobile College, now the University of Mobile, are a rich part of who I am. I would love to sow back into the students there someday, if at all possible. I am proud to be a graduate of U of M!

I was blessed to be featured as an alumni in the Spring 2011 issue of the University of Mobile Magazine. Check it out!