“Think of your life like a pilgrimage,” Dr. Jeremy Fyke suggested to Belmont University students in a recent campus address. “Ask yourself, ‘What can this class or experience teach me about the world?’ and ‘What can it teach me about myself?’”
A faculty member in the Department of Communications Studies, Fyke delivered the annual College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Robert E. Simmons Distinguished Faculty Lecture, named in honor of a former faculty member, during Belmont’s 2020 Homecoming Celebration. His selection recognized his teaching and research. His presentation was entitled, “For the Love: Graced for the Work of Stewardship.”
Even if we don’t realize it, “We’re all called to something,” he said, citing a Bible verse from Ephesians 2. Finding our calling is possible if we “don’t rush it, but be intentional.” People can shift their mindset and shift their language. “What has God gifted me to do?” he asked.
Fyke shared his path of finding God’s purpose in his life and encouraged his listeners to think about their energies, passions and talents. “Then, think about shifts that it would take to make it a life of stewardship, gifts for you to use,” he said.
Fyke said the question, “Why am I here?” is one of the most frequently searched questions on Google. People search for meaning and purpose in their lives. Fyke said his own path included stints as a waiter, lifeguard, vacuum cleaner salesman and telemarketer, along with disappointing initial academic performance. Eventually he found in a communications class in college something that connected with him and excited him. He went on to graduate school and now enjoys his faculty position at Belmont University. He teaches classes in organizational communications and corporate social responsibility, and he conducts research on related areas including career readiness.
“Whether you’re 5, 25 or 75, you can think about what God has gifted you to do,” said Fyke. “God knows you, and he knows what He made, and He doesn’t have any regrets.” He said shifting our mindset to one of stewardship “is a recipe for a life set apart and it sets us up to be truly distinguished.”
Fyke came to Belmont in 2016 from a faculty position at Marquette University. He earned his doctorate in 2011 in communications and organizational behavior. He was introduced at the lecture by Dr. Bryce Sullivan, dean of the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. For more information on the Simmons Lecture or the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences visit www.belmont.edu/liberal-arts/index.html or contact Karen Bennett at 615-460-5505 or karen.bennett@belmont.edu.
