Worldview year

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MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Thursday, May 14th. Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: Part 2 of our story on Christians training to live out their biblical worldview.

They’re called Colson Fellows, named for Chuck Colson.

The fellows spend nearly a year studying biblical theology and Christian worldview, and then develop a personal plan of action to engage their communities.

BROWN: I met Kris Smith last year at the 2025 Colson Fellows commissioning ceremony. She’s a 70-year-old grandmother of eight from central California. She wanted to serve the middle school girls at her church, teaching them they are beautifully and wonderfully made.

Well I asked the retired first grade teacher to keep an audio journal. Here are excerpts of her months-long journey: 

KRIS SMITH: Saturday, August 2: When we got back, I emailed the youth minister, asked questions, etc. He was getting ready for the youth camp. No answer. I wanted the names of the kids before camp to pray for them. Didn't happen. I just prayed. Left message at church to call me on his voicemail, no response. I went to one youth activity that was calendared before they left for camp, connected with a few kids, parents, and the host of the activity, but no real response from Sam.

PASTOR SAM: My name is Sam, I am the junior high pastor. We also have a high school/overall youth pastor at our church. It's very confusing. His name is Sam as well.

KRIS SMITH: Wednesday, August 13: I got Sam's phone number and found out the best way to reach him is by text. He always returns texts. A very good thing to know.

Tuesday, August 19: Finally made it to the first evening of the fall program.

PASTOR SAM: Like a regular Wednesday for me right now, I'd say I have 40 to 50ish kids. 50 is usually on the higher end.

KRIS SMITH: Observation…more boys than girls, lots of energy. 

When I was talking to Sam, I reminded him that I wanted, I needed to do four lessons for the Colson Fellows, for teaching the kids. And didn't sound like it was going to happen this fall with what he had planned, so I asked him, I said, "What about January or February?"

PASTOR SAM: And I said, Yeah, I'd love to do that. And genuinely, that was always my answer. I'd love to do that.

KRIS SMITH: August 22. It's Friday. Interesting, I got a text from Sam, and he wants me to check the kids in. He's decided that could be a good job for me. 

Thursday, August 28: Last night was youth group. We had, again, about 12 girls. I'm getting to know their names. 

Thursday, September 4: Making connections and remembering prayer requests. We had 31 junior highers, 14 girls this week.

Tuesday, September 16: What a week. Heard about Charlie Kirk last Wednesday. Was shocked. We had just heard him at a pro-life rally in Visalia on Tuesday, the week before.While going to church, I found out a good friend of ours had died at 1:06 a.m.

As I walked into youth group, there were very few adults. Sam spoke to the kids and cautioned them to stay off of social media and not to watch the video of the assassination. He had inadvertently seen it and regretted it. And today, we're meeting with my husband's cardiac thoracic surgeon up at Stanford to see if the cancer is all gone from six and a half years ago. God is good, always.

Tuesday, September 23. Saturday, September 29. Monday, October 6. 

Tuesday, October 14: Gonna start checking in memory verses next week. Stood there. Tried to greet a few. Wondering why God had me there. And why am I here, Lord, am I really necessary? I registered three kids. We had 10/12, girls. Getting more and more comfortable, and I'm relating better to the kids. It's just gonna take a while.

This is Wednesday, October 15: I'm not going tonight. Coughing and hacking. Would have been my last night before we leave, we leave for Ohio on Sunday. But anyways, I asked him to save all the prayer requests for me so I can pray for the girls while we're in Ohio for a month.

January 15, 2026: I don't know what Sam was thinking, but he took me off the text list. So the next time I'm gone, I'm going to say, 'Sam, keep me on it. So if there's a prayer request shared, I can pray while I'm not with the kids.'

PASTOR SAM: Some people don't appreciate when people are squeaky wheels. I love people like Kris, because I need that.

KRIS SMITH: So February 18, 25th, 4th, and 11th of March, I'm going to be doing my four lessons for my Colson Fellow Program, and I think I'm going to use, "What would you say?"

PASTOR SAM: Check, check. Hey, Kris, do you mind talking into the microphone?

KRIS SMITH: Hello… can you hear me?

PASTOR SAM: Alright, guys, we're recording! Kris has the floor.

KRIS SMITH: The last statement was taken out of C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity. You have three choices. Jesus said, I’m God. He’s either a liar, or He’s a lunatic, He’s crazy; or He is God.

PASTOR SAM: The wheels were turning, and so I think it was probably one of the first times some of our kids had heard that.

KRIS SMITH: Wednesday, February 25: I gave my second lesson. I had two girls, all the rest were boys. 

Tonight's topic is going to be about the problem of evil. 

Next week ought to be really interesting. It'll be the question of suffering. My goal for the last session, which is going to be the one on freedom, I want more Scripture.

STUDENT: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

KRIS SMITH: Who's the word, guys?

STUDENT: Jesus.

KRIS SMITH: One of my goals was wanting to do gender talk with the girls. I wasn't able to do the gender talk, my talks were co-ed... I didn't feel a failure.

BROWN: And According to Colson standards, Smith is hardly a failure. 

Micahel Craven, Dean of the Colson Fellows Program:

S. MICHAEL CRAVEN: Chuck, in fact, he had a placard on his desk that said, faithfulness, not success. So what we’re driving people toward is to be faithful to their calling in Christ and trust the results to Him.

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