By Kelli Lindley
Vice President for External Relations
In the spring of 2015, shortly after I accepted the position of NNU’s Director of Athletics, the local newspaper reached out to me. Mother’s Day was coming up and they wanted to write a story on a working mom who had an “unconventional role” career-wise. I agreed to the interview and eagerly shared my experience at NNU as the Head Women’s Basketball Coach where I had been supported by the NNU community and administration, and afforded the opportunity to a take a year’s leave of absence when my second son was born. It was a pleasure to be able to describe how getting married and having two children, while serving at NNU in a demanding profession, was doable because of great bosses who cared about me personally, not just professionally.
When the newspaper article came out on Mother’s Day, I received a text from Joel, who at the time was serving as Vice President for Financial Affairs. I will never forget what a portion of the message read:
“I have never been prouder of you. — Joel”
I remember reading those words and thinking how incredibly thoughtful it was for him to take the time to send me a text, but even more, how much I wanted to do a good job in my new role as Athletic Director, since he had so much faith in me.
Shortly after I started that role, Joel became NNU’s President, which meant I regularly met with him, and some of the time, was in on senior leadership meetings. I noticed quickly there was something different about Joel compared to most people I had seen in high-level, prominent roles like a university president, and I wanted to emulate it—he smiled and laughed easily, regardless of how tense or stressful the circumstances may have been. I remember thinking, he is that uncommon person the group, MercyMe, was singing about in the song, Grace Got You:
Have you ever met those who
Keep hummin’ when the song’s through?
It’s like they’re living life
to a whole different tune.
And have you ever met those that
Keep hoping when it’s hopeless?
It’s like they figured out
what the rest haven’t yet.
My conclusion regarding Joel’s hope-filled, grace-packed disposition never wavered. A few years into my tenure as Athletic Director, I made a mistake and offered a new head coach a salary that was higher than what had been budgeted. As soon as I realized my error I felt a wave of shame, and knew I needed to contact Joel and confess my blunder. As you can imagine, the thought of telling Joel, who I respected immensely, that I had messed up, left my stomach in knots. But I called Joel and told him of my misstep while trying not to let on that I was on the verge of tears. In typical Joel fashion, he started telling me a story of how he had made a financial mistake as NNU’s Vice President of Financial Affairs and that it all ultimately worked out just fine. To be frank, I think he embellished the story a bit to make me feel better, but the grace and compassion he showed me in that moment was more than I deserved and something I have never forgotten as I have tried to follow his example when leading my own teams.
This gracious, unpretentious care for the NNU students, faculty and staff was consistent throughout the entirety of my time serving as Athletic Director. Joel (and Nikki) were consistent fixtures at most athletic events and each school year managed to know almost every student-athlete by name. But it wasn’t like Joel and Nikki were just showing up to games out of duty. They were legitimately engaged in each contest, cheering for the student-athletes, aware of game strategies and occasionally letting the officials know when they missed a call. On top of that, during campus breaks, when the dining hall was closed, they would have entire teams over to their house for meals, and the cookies Nikki baked for teams that made it post-season became legendary. It truly is amazing to realize the energy, stamina and commitment to showing up for others, that Joel and Nikki have had during Joel’s tenure at NNU. It has been humbling to see how Joel’s presence has been life-giving for so many on campus, and while I have not seen anyone match his commitment to being there for others, his example of caring about the things that others on campus care about, has become the standard that many of us strive to follow.
This past summer, when I was planning a graduation party for my oldest son who was finishing high school, I decided to send an invitation to Joel and Nikki. My husband, Jeremy, had known Joel and Nikki for several years before we met and had become like an older brother to the Pearsall boys through church activities. So, when Jeremy and I had our own boys and didn’t quite know what we were doing, we called Nikki for advice. It was obvious she and Joel had raised three awesome young men and if there was anyone that could give us credible counsel, it would be Joel and Nikki. To this day, we still laugh about some of the questions we asked Nikki. But never once did they not take our call or tell us they were too busy to consider our silly questions. They always showed a genuine care for both Jeremy and me, and our precious boys. So when it came time to celebrate my son graduating from high school and starting his freshman year at NNU, it made perfect sense that Joel and Nikki should be there, and of course, they were.
Brennan Manning has a well-known quote that states: “In every encounter we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange.” It’s probably fair to say it’s impossible to always be giving life in our exchanges with others. However, when I think of the many interactions I have had with Joel and watched him engage with hundreds of others within our NNU community, I am certain he has been a considerable source of encouragement, joy and life for most everyone who has had the privilege of knowing him.
