As students head into the holiday season, 佩珀代因大学's 属灵生活中心 invited Henry Cloud, psychologist and prolific author of 《纽约时报》 best-selling 边界, to deliver a message at 油井. Whether one is traveling or staying home for the holidays, Cloud discussed how to navigate family and friendship dynamics, as well as how to approach genuine connection with others.

云对听众讲话

Held on November 5, 2025, 油井 service opened with a selection of songs performed by 波拜, the University's worship collective. Followed by an introduction by vice president for spiritual life 蒂姆·斯皮维（1997届，2000届硕士，2000届硕士）, Cloud greeted the audience while wheeling out a large whiteboard with markers in hand. While illustrating key points of his message, he acknowledged that upcoming holiday visits bring their own set of joys and challenges, due largely to the quality of connection with relatives and peers.

“每个人，不管他们是否知道，都在寻找联系，”克劳德说。 “Science, including everything we know about human thriving, and the Bible tell us that the 华体会体育 of our hearts needs to be matched in a relationship. The Bible says, ‘Rejoice with those who rejoice; 和哭泣的人一起哭泣。 安慰心碎的人。 鼓励胆小的人。’ We call this empathy and understanding, and trust grows out of these behaviors.”

Beginning in childhood, Cloud said, positive and negative interactions reinforce a person’s attitudes toward connecting with others and expectations for how they should be treated. He explained that unprocessed emotional pain often gets stuck in the brain’s limbic system when a person is involved long term in an unhealthy connection. But once a sincere connection is made, when a person is understood and cherished for who they are, the brain illuminates in dormant regions and pain begins “to be flushed out of the system.”

信徒崇拜

Cloud closed by encouraging Pepperdine students to cultivate genuine connections by understanding their own needs and making a concerted effort to understand those of their peers. By adopting an intentionally empathetic mindset, one can enter this holiday season with greater purpose as bearers of God’s love and grace.

“真正的联系能让你更了解自己，”克劳德解释道。 “In 1 Peter 4 it says that when we’re loving one another and using our gifts with one another, we're administering the grace of God in its various forms.”

On November 6, following his appearance at 油井, Cloud hosted a conversation on Building a Secure Foundation at the Payson Library Surfboard Room in partnership with the 布恩家庭中心 关系智商程序. Cloud was recently featured in an 集 PeppTalk播客, where he expanded upon his message delivered at 油井.

Current first-year student Irene Park attends 油井 weekly and shared that worshipping with her peers “warms her heart” while providing a comfortable space to meet new people.

“Dr. Cloud’s message opened my eyes to how I should seek good, healthy connections with my friends and family,” Park shared. “He said that often when people have no connections, they settle for bad connections. This makes me grateful for opportunities like 油井 where I can spend quality time with my friends.”

学生们在便利贴上写下了他们对假期的期望

For Lexi Thomas, Seaver senior and current track athlete, 油井 has become a cherished part of her weekly routine. The physical endurance required for her sport, Thomas shares, has called for her to deepen her faith as she relies on God for strength and spiritual sustenance. She expressed appreciation for opportunities such as Cloud’s appearance at 油井, where the 属灵生活中心 invites prominent thinkers to share messages relevant to students’ well-being, emotional maturity, and sense of greater purpose.

“我很欣赏克劳德博士对情商的圣经式研究，”托马斯说。 圣经的原则更新我们的思想，教导我们如何去爱别人。 If we are intentional about treating people as God's creation, we can connect genuinely, making for healthier relationships.”

All members of the Pepperdine community are invited to attend 油井 every Wednesday at 8 PM at the Amphitheatre on the Malibu campus. For more information, please visit the 中心的精神生活网站.