On Mission

Matt Davis, Maranatha Baptist University
  • 4.5 (24)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

On Mission is a podcast that explores personal mission in the lives of leaders in ministry, community, and business. Each episode features a leader dedicated to pursuing a life of excellence, service, and eternal significance.

  1. S12 Ep 2 | Dwayne Morris

    FEB 3

    S12 Ep 2 | Dwayne Morris

    Dr. Dwayne Morris is an associate pastor at Calvary Baptist Church in Watertown, where, in addition to his other duties, he now directs New Focus, an addiction recovery program. He has served in various capacities during his more than 40-year association with Maranatha and currently teaches part-time in the College of Bible and Church Ministries and the Department of Humanities. He and his wife, Angela, are parents to three Maranatha alumni.

    58 min
  2. S12 Ep 1 | Craig Lawson

    JAN 20

    S12 Ep 1 | Craig Lawson

    Craig Lawson [‘13] is the program director at Ironwood Christian Camp in Newberry Springs, California. Craig met and married his wife, Emily, while at Maranatha and then worked at MBU for a year following graduation. Summer ministry at Ironwood led them to join the resident staff in 2015. The Lawsons have two children who, by camp tradition, are dubbed “desert pygmies.”

    52 min
  3. S11 Ep 10 | Emily Haynes

    12/09/2025

    S11 Ep 10 | Emily Haynes

    The expression “famous last words” applies to guest Emily Haynes. “One day you will be dean of women,” an associate dorm supervisor once playfully predicted. Emily adamantly replied, “Absolutely not!” Yet the Lord steadily guided her from teaching piano into the conjectured dean of women position. She and host Dr. Matt Davis review that process. Joining the Student Life Office as a dorm supervisor in 2010, she learned the one surprising rule—every day you must laugh. Emily enjoys her work, which mainly entails counseling and discipleship, though it includes a modicum of discipline too. She explains varied aspects of the dual mentorship role of working with students and dorm supervisors. Naturally, she partners with parents as well, assuring them of attentive student care. Maranatha’s supportive environment “ought to be pretty reassuring to parents,” Dr. Davis observes, “once you describe all the different things we have in place to help their students thrive.” Now a 15-year veteran, Emily insists, “The rule still applies; there is laughter every day.”

    47 min
  4. S11 Ep 9 | Phil Price

    11/25/2025

    S11 Ep 9 | Phil Price

    Athletics as ministry offers a great “classroom” with many teachable moments, as you will hear in this episode with guest Phil Price, MBU faculty member and assistant basketball coach. He claims to have had a “front-row seat,” spending all but seven years of his life on a Christian campus. Growing up shadowing his coaching father and later playing in multiple sports, he treasures having been mentored by Godly men. Among various topics, he and host Dr. Matt Davis review his sports involvement, the “relationship of math as a discipline and the concept of truth as a reality,” lessons of grace learned from a bicuspid aortic valve, and transition to the role of “old guy” and mentor to a younger generation.

    54 min
  5. S11 Ep 8 | Peter Wright

    11/11/2025

    S11 Ep 8 | Peter Wright

    Peter Wright’s interview in this episode runs the gamut from youth pastor to communications director to recruitment specialist and more. He explains to host Dr. Matt Davis that God has “wired” him to enjoy encouraging people, whether through playing the piano, driving a bus, flying airplanes, or mowing a lawn. Their conversation glides through Peter’s call to youth ministry despite music training and flows on to his call to Maranatha as communications director (overseeing things he disliked) and how the Lord gave him what he pined for—ministry in music. Then their dialogue settles on recruitment. Peter answers such paramount questions as why he advocates Christian education, why students should attend college even if pursuing a trade, and why Maranatha is a prime choice. They talk percentages—70-80% of Christians attending secular schools denouncing their faith, senior test scores placing MBU in the top 4% nationally with music students in the top 1%, and our CPA-track students making us number one in Wisconsin. Dr. Davis sites studies which show discipline trumps IQ, and Peter concludes the compelling analysis by enumerating college benefits beyond academics.

    56 min
  6. S11 Ep 7 | John McGarry

    10/28/2025

    S11 Ep 7 | John McGarry

    Here’s a notable episode with guest Mr. John McGarry, who spoke on campus for an informative general assembly. He is the Assistant Special Agent in Charge with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration in the Milwaukee District Office. A deployment with the U.S. Marine Corps to Columbia, South America, aroused his desire to become a DEA agent and facilitated his goal of joining something bigger than himself to give back to this country what his immigrant parents received. He and host Dr. Matt Davis discuss 9/11 from John’s perspective at Quantico. They talk about leadership as epitomized in the Marine motto (lead by example) and the need for compassion. Then the subject turns to the threats spawned by synthetics drugs, particularly fentanyl. He explains the history, the complexity of the “war on drugs,” and its permeation of all societal levels. John describes the seemingly unachievable mission of using law enforcement to reduce demand in the illegal drug trade when we are the prime consumers. He compares the staggering numbers of drug-related deaths to Al-Qaeda-associated murders. Finally, he articulates that emulating Jesus Christ motivates his perseverance.

    53 min
  7. S11 Ep 6 | Bob Griffin

    10/14/2025

    S11 Ep 6 | Bob Griffin

    This episode’s guest hails from Maranatha’s inception. In fact, he met the Brothers of the Holy Cross who sold the campus to MBU. Dr. Bob Griffin reflects on the early days—transferring from Pillsbury, meeting his wife (plus how a bowl of melted ice cream landed in his lap), and the quandary of what to do after graduation. Bob defines his mission as willingness to be a servant, and host Dr. Matt Davis prompts him to explain how the Lord employs desires, preparation, and counsel to direct His will. Bob mentions his US Navy chaplaincy that ended before it began and how an inner-city boy pastored a rural church with 13 members, six of whom died within a year. They discuss unexpected opportunities to advance his education, how the Lord sustained when Bob’s wife developed a terminal condition. Bob recounts poignant financial extremities and how the Lord surprised them, how his wife’s illness triggered new pursuits, and now how the Lord allows continued opportunities to serve despite a stroke. A servant has no will, Bob states. Humility is key, which results in peace.

    1h 9m
  8. S11 Ep 5 | Jonathan Gilliam

    09/30/2025

    S11 Ep 5 | Jonathan Gilliam

    Delve into this episode as host Dr. Matt Davis and MBU graduate Jonathan Gilliam chat about a range of topics from cross-country running to marriage, from Jonathan’s current camp staff responsibilities to God’s calling. Tapping into his recent graduation, they address his college expectations and what aspects prepared him for life. Jonathan appreciates his extension involvement in a small church and highlights his internship, which challenged him to devote time daily in silent reflection. When Dr. Davis asks, “What would you tell your younger self as a student, if you had the chance,” Jonathan thoughtful responds, “How to interact with suffering.” Diagnosed with Chron’s disease as a teen and having had potentially fatal complications from it, he judiciously comments that he would not mourn those difficulties or seek immediate release because, he concludes, trials are often the means of growth and sanctification.

    44 min
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4.5
out of 5
24 Ratings

About

On Mission is a podcast that explores personal mission in the lives of leaders in ministry, community, and business. Each episode features a leader dedicated to pursuing a life of excellence, service, and eternal significance.

Information

  • Creator
    Matt Davis, Maranatha Baptist University
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    125
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Maranatha Baptist University
  • Show Website
    On Mission