"Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." （歌罗西书4:6）

The free expression, one to another, of our joys, hurts, victories, challenges, dreams, goals, and needs strengthens our filial bonds with the students, staff, faculty, contractors, and visitors who share our journey at 佩珀代因大学. As we engage, we must be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger—because anger does not produce God's righteousness (James 1:19). We agree with Quaker author Douglas Steere who says that "to 'listen' another's soul into a condition of disclosure and discovery may be almost the greatest service that any human being ever performs for another."

但神是按着自己的意思、把肢体各安排在身上。 若都是一个肢体，身子在那里呢。 As it is, there are many members, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; 而我们更可敬的成员不需要这些。 But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honor to the inferior member, that there may be no dissension within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another. 若一个肢体受苦，所有的肢体就一同受苦； if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it." （林前12:18-26）

意大利是一个拉丁词，意思是整个团体或整个社区。 我们的英语单词“University”就是从这个词衍生出来的。 Pepperdine is one; we are one large community of human beings who have agreed to live, learn, and grow in a faith-filled academic environment. God has created each of us uniquely to fulfill a role in making the whole better. As we better understand our roles and come to appreciate the roles of other Waves we create a more excellent and resilient whole. 正如保罗在加拉太书3:28所讲的，我们人类创造的界限是没有意义的。 我们都有归属感； 我们都是为了这样的时刻而来的。

夫子、律法上哪一条诫命是最大的呢。 He said to him, "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 这是最大的第一条诫命。 And a second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:36-40).

In an effort to entrap Jesus, the religious leaders of the day, the Pharisees, asked Jesus which was the greatest of the commandments. The importance with which Jesus placed loving our neighbor (second only to loving our Creator) cannot be overemphasized. 我们的邻居不仅仅是那些像我们一样投票、崇拜、长相、说话或爱的人； our neighbors are all of humanity. This means that we put each other first, that we inculcate an "other-oriented" ethos, pathos, and logos, which is what Jesus modeled. Philippians 2:3 advises us to "do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves." If we each consistently strive to put the other first, our various needs will be met more often than not.

So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; 耶稣就对他们讲道。 Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." （马可福音2:2-6）

不可否认，我们生活在一个不断变化和日益复杂的世界。 Thriving in such environments requires the ability to be agile, to be flexible in approach—just as the friends of the paralytic man were in the scripture above. This 敏捷性 requires our willingness to grow (1 Corinthians 13:11): to see old things in new ways, to see new things, and to try on different ways of thinking. We are most agile when, as Dr. Ira Jolivet, Emeritus Associate Professor of Religion, wrote, we "同理心地想象不同于我们自己的观点和世界观." It means following Paul's example (1 Corinthians 9:19-23) to alter our approach, being willing to hear, consider, and empathize with the stories of all of our neighbors so that we might win as many as possible. 这就是谦卑在行动中的样子。

"Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Phillippians 4:8)

没有什么是“随随便便”发生的； intentionality is an integral part of making progress along any continuum. In the scripture above, Paul is imploring readers to exercise the spiritual discipline that is required to maintain a positive-oriented mindset. Even in times of rancor, anger must not be met with anger. We need to demonstrate a high level of emotional intelligence. Like Jesus, we must seek to remain "on call" despite opposition or harsh treatment. As the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; 只有光能做到。 仇恨不能驱除仇恨； only love can do that." 爱是这个世界上最强大的力量。 "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:8) We must daily make up our minds to love: our God, ourselves, our neighbors, and our Pepperdine family.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect." （罗马书12:2）

Today we face reality, a reality that is informed for better and for worse by our yesterdays. However, we cannot create a better tomorrow without allowing our minds to be transformed by God along this journey. While we have faced, currently face, and will continue to face challenges, we must keep our eyes on the prize of the myriad visions that we seek to create. As we squarely and fearlessly examine today's reality, we need to dream big. 明天会是什么样子？ 明天会是什么样子？ Jesus taught us to pray boldly that Jesus taught us to pray, "your [God's] kingdom come, your[God's] will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10 NIV) What if we, at Pepperdine, imagine together with us a community of belonging that mirrors the in which we form that Revelation 7:9-10 vision: "…I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language," standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. 他们都穿着白袍，手里拿着棕树枝。 And they were shouting with a great roar, standing before God, worshipping God together, ever grateful for God's grace, mercy, and salvation.

“救恩是从坐在宝座上我们的上帝和羔羊那里来的！”

How can we combine our talents to create a campus community, even a world, in which all of us "from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages (Revelation 7:9, NRSV)" praise God in our unique ways while living, learning, and working together to create and sustain a haven of academic excellence for all who come through our gates?

"…'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 我们是什么时候看到你生病或在监狱里探望你的？” And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’”（马太福音25:35-40）

我们是来发球的。 我们每个人拥有的各种礼物都是为了人类。 我们许多人正在发展的智力是为了造福他人。 The scholarship in which we engage is to make the world better. The conversations that we have are to edify our brothers and sisters. The service projects and trips in which we engage are to help the world. However, in all service, for it to be meaningful, we must not do so from a place of perceived superiority, but ratherdo so from a place of cultural humility. This means that we cannot serve others until we allow God's grace and humility to soften our ears and hearts, to enable us to inquire, hear, and process what others need and what they desire. less we cede our place of privilege to hear what it is that they need and what they desire. It is through our service to people in spiritual, mental, financial, physical, and psychological need that we best praise God.