Barbara Miller

Name: Barbara Miller
Position: Director of Dept. of Spiritual Life.
At Biola since: May 1993.
Your StrengthsFinder top five?  Strategic, Ideaism. Connectedness, Responsibility and Command.

1. What do you do in your job (briefly)?  Direct the Dept. of Spiritual Life, where we help students grow as disciples of Christ through various discipleship and outreach ministries.

2. The five (or so) most influential books you've read: 
The Bible by God;
Integrity by Henry Cloud;
Mid-Course Correction by Gordon MacDonald;
The Narnia Chronicles by C.S. Lewis;
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.

3. Why are you at Biola?   Because I believe God has placed me here.  My heart and convictions align with this institution. I believe we are shaping people to truly impact the world for Christ.

4. A guilty pleasure: Thrift-store shopping, homemade cakes with buttercream frosting.

5. Your testimony (in 200 words or less):  God called me to Himself at a young age.  My Dad prayed with me at age 6 and I began the walk of faith with Christ.  God protected me through a childhood and adolescence marked by pain and abandonment.  God showed Himself faithful to me and helped me grow in maturity emotionally and spiritually. He brought me into a ministry setting in my 20's, where He gradually placed a burden and called me to ministry.  In the last 10 years I have learned that God is who He says He is, and I am who He says I am, and He will do what He says He will do.  I continue to grow on the path of faith and belief in God, even in the face of other's suffering and my own.

6. If God put you completely in charge of creating Heaven, what would it be like?  I'm just thankful He's the Creator, and I'm not.  I can't wait to experience His glory to the fullest!

7. What movie have you seen in the last year that you wish all your friends could see? I absolutely loved the grassroots movie Facing the Giants which was produced by a church in the South.  It was beautifully meaningful to me.  I get tired of the Hollywood angle in movies, and this had a sweet simple story without all that hype.

8. If you could relive any part of your life, what part would it be, and why?  I wouldn't choose to relive any part of my life.  I am looking toward the future.

9. In difficult times, who would you most want praying for you?  I have a solid team of friends that pray for me faithfully, and they are the exact ones I would want to continue praying for me in difficult times.  I believe that prayer is where the real work is done.

10. What was the greatest peer pressure you felt as a teen/college student?   To be appealing and beautiful.  Every girl faces that pressure, I believe.

11. Do you think it is possible to live with no regrets?  Some people say so, but I don't know what planet they're from.  My life is full of regrets, but I also look at my failures as a doorway for God to show me His grace and redemption through my life. 

12. What is your definition of success? Do you consider yourself to be successful?  If I know God is saying "well-done" to me in any given circumstance or situation.

13. How much is your self-worth and identity determined by your job and your success at it?  Work is an arena where we often have to face ourselves and our limitations.  Work provides an opportunity for growth in self-identity, but I do not find my worth in my work.

14. What are the most important things you look for when choosing a church?  A fellowship of Spirit-filled believers, growing in God's Word and edifying one another, while reaching out to the world around to show them Christ.

15. What are the questions you most want to ask God?  Why did you allow your servants to suffer so tremendously?

16. What does contentment mean to you? Contentment is tied to the process of faith and sanctification. How close are you to that, now?   I believe we move in and out of contentment as we are faced with new challenges to trust God.  Like a weaned child, we learn to quit kicking and screaming and accept where He has us, while waiting and hoping for redemption.