麻豆AV

My aspirations when going to 麻豆AV were very much to play baseball and stay above a 2.5 GPA. That was my goal. However, after my first semester, the Covenant culture got a hold of me in a way I can't really explain. I realized that the people I was around enjoyed learning and the professors actually took the time to get to know their students, which was surprising because of the college stories I'd heard from friends who went to state schools where that wasn't typical. As time went on, my GPA went up significantly, but also my desire to gain and retain knowledge increased as well. A lot of that was because of the community of professors and my peers cared about me in ways I'd never experienced before.

Equipped with a Love for Learning

That's one thing I believe Covenant does very well, is teach the love of learning. In fact, senior year I was looking for an 鈥渆asy鈥� elective to take and somehow ended up taking Bioethics. Two friends of mine who were both training to be doctors convinced me it鈥檇 be fun, so I ended up being one of three non-bio majors in the class as a sports management major and double minor in business and sociology. Yet, it was in Bioethics that I saw the beauty of God in a whole new way. I got to see God's people, my peers, think so deeply and so caringly about others. Some of the terminology, never having really taken a philosophy class before, even a biology class, was lost on me, but I could still see the care in how everyone discussed really tough subjects. Now I tell people it was my most fun and interesting class. Never in a million years would high school Noah have said 鈥淚 want to take bioethics.鈥� But now I would say it was one of the most influential classes during my time there because it got me thinking about the world in a new way. 

Challenged in Deep Discussion

One of the other things I enjoyed about my classes at Covenant was the discussion. I came from a Classical Conversations background, so I was trained to learn by asking a hundred questions. I had professors actually encourage me to ask all the questions and classmates who didn't think I was weird for doing that. Of course, sometimes class discussion could be a little one-sided in the way that everyone in the room was a confessing believer. For the most part, in every classroom at Covenant you're going to have people who are authentically trying to find Jesus and love Jesus. However, even though that is the pursuit, that doesn't mean we always get it right. 

For example, in the Bioethics course, Dr. Bill Davis has his students read the most used medical textbook, so what most secular universities read, but apply the biblical worldview so they can understand where the other side's coming from. This challenges the students to not be in a bubble, and I think Dr. Davis did a great job of leading our class to think outside of our familiar, comfortable Christian worldview by asking questions like, 鈥淗ow are we going to love those who are hard to love because they are different from us?鈥� There is a lot of beauty in having a classroom conversation where the professors try to get students to think about those things and challenge us. This love of learning and of deep, challenging discussion that I was given at Covenant changed my life, not only from an academic standpoint, but it changed my life on a very personal level by changing my family.

Burdened for My Father鈥檚 Salvation

Growing up, I was blessed with a loving family. My parents are caring, my siblings are my best friends, and overall I had a fulfilling childhood. However, there was one big omission: my family did not go to church. My dad had walked away from the faith while my mom was still a believer. This created a quiet conflict and an ever-present awkwardness in my home surrounding topics of faith. Even though I did not attend church regularly growing up, I still considered myself a Christian and professed Jesus as my Savior, mostly due to my mom鈥檚 efforts.

When I was 17 years old and driving independently, I found a local congregation and for the first time in my life began to regularly attend church. Yet, the absence of family was ever present. I could feel this anxiety like a splinter in my chest when I thought of the chance that I may not see my dad in heaven. This pain was hard to carry so I tried my best to ignore it. Little did I know God would use a small Christian school on a mountain to change everything.

Convicted to Articulate My Faith

In my first year at Covenant, I began noticing my ability to articulate my beliefs was improving. The classes, chapel, and discussions regarding sanctification or the different views of creation over meals in the cafeteria all contributed to this. When I went home, I would share this excitement with my family around the dinner table, telling them about what I had learned. Time passed and I continued to share my Covenant experiences with my family. During my sophomore year, I started taking Christian Doctrine 1 and 2 with Dr. Clifton Ward. These classes captured my attention and wrangled my understanding of theological study. I had a newfound confidence in my theological vocabulary and the ability to explain what I believe and why I believe it. 

One day, I remember getting ready to end a phone conversation with my mom when she told me that my father was saying he wanted to try a local church and they were planning to go together as a family. In my confusion, I remember ending the call a bit abruptly. But, as I learned later, the Lord had deeply used all those phone calls, dinner conversations, papers I may have had my mom check over, and the recounting of my day-to-day activities to reach my dad and encourage my family. 

The next time I visited, I did what I often do when home: I sat with my dad and talked鈥攂ut this time we talked about God. My dad told me he was impressed by how seriously I took my faith during college and that my excitement had rubbed off on him. In between ESPN highlights on TV, my dad and I really for the first time had a serious conversation about faith. It was wonderful to hear my dad talk about the church they had visited and鈥攂ecause of the Covenant community鈥擨 was able to answer questions I could have never answered before. Looking back now, I can see all the little steps the Lord led me on as well as my dad. It is amazing and humbling to see God鈥檚 plan unfold. I am thankful to God for His ever-flowing mercy and that he was able to use me and what I learned at Covenant to bring my dad to a saving faith. I remember watching my dad get baptized, in awe of what the Lord accomplished. The hug my dad and I shared after that is something I will never forget because the anxiety I previously had melted away, replaced by a reassurance that I will see my dad in heaven.

Filled with Gratitude for the Good Shepherd

I am thankful to God for the small things He conducted to bring my family to Himself. I am thankful to the Covenant community for provoking my interests and supplying students and professors who helped and are continuing to help me dive deeper into my faith. I now enjoy going to church with my family when I am home and hearing about how they are serving as active members. God is indeed a good God! 

When I graduated from Covenant, I was not the student I was when I started. Covenant College fostered that love of learning and gave me a true appreciation for a Christ-centered education, an appreciation that truly has eternal significance to me and my family. I hope my family鈥檚 story showcases that God is the main character. He used phone calls, dinner conversations, and a school on top of a mountain in Georgia to bring His children back to Himself. He is truly a good Shepherd!

Author bio:

Noah Sweatman is a Classical Conversations graduate and a 麻豆AV graduate. He is now an admissions counselor at 麻豆AV, equipping high school students to navigate the college decision process, and he considers it a privilege to walk alongside high schoolers as they make the big decision and find what the Lord is calling them to pursue.

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