Our youngest was three years old and eating a snack at his little table when I spied the
first snowflakes of the year outside. I called his attention to them. He ran over to the
sliding glass door, began jumping up and down and gleefully exclaimed, "I knew they’d
come back! I knew they’d come back!"

As we watched the big flakes float lazily down, I explained that God makes each
snowflake different from any other just as He makes each person different and special.
We had a wonderful time rejoicing in the beauty of our Father’s world and what it
reveals about Him.

Christian stewardship is about cultivating and safeguarding everything in our care—
people, possessions, and our planet.

When I was in the Malone Chorale, we sang Marcello’s Psalm 19: The Heavens Declare
the Glory of God. Music is a powerful memorization tool—I have heard it referred to
as a singing seminary. To this day, I remember the melody and the words taken from
scripture.

Psalm 19:1-4: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work
of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they
display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” NIV

I never thought of caring for the planet as investing in mission work, but from these
verses I find another compelling reason for stewardship. God made the planet for
Himself and for people. He whispers, speaks, shouts, and sings to us through stars,
sunsets, mountains, waterfalls, snowflakes, and more.

We care for the earth and for people today so that our Creator’s message can be clearly
heard tomorrow.

I am so grateful for Malone alumni, parents, and friends. My goal is to be a faithful
steward of the time, gifts, and prayers you invest in the mission of Malone University.
You are a tremendous blessing to Malone and to me.

That’s why when you return to campus, you may catch me jumping for joy and hear me
gratefully exclaiming—"I knew they’d come back, I knew they’d come back!"