Meet Henry Smiley. He is the Chair of the Literature and Langage Arts Department at CBC. He has great taste in movies and TV shows, but his musical tastes are a bit disappointing. He is smart and funny and he has a goatee that his wife has made him promise to never shave.(1) What part of your job is most rewarding? What part is most frustrating?
The most rewarding thing about my job is getting to interact with an amazing variety of people. I am constantly learning from the people around me, and I am getting paid to do so. How cool is that?
The most frustrating part of my job are the day-to-day responsibilities (some of which are self-inflicted) that keep me chained to my desk and sap my energy. I find as I get older that I have more difficulty maintaining an extroverted personality when some many people and tasks compete for my attention.
(2) What is something else (not related to your job) that you are passionate about?
Anyone who knows me knows that I am passionately interested in movies and music (sorry, Aaron, but John Denver does fit in that category). I’m also passionate about literature, which is why I do what I do. The Divorce Care program that my wife and I co-facilitate is a ministry I feel uniquely gifted and qualified to serve in.
(3) What is one good book you’ve read lately and what made it so?
“Blue Like Jazz” by Donald Miller and “An Arrow Pointing to Heaven” by Brennan Manning. I liked “Blue Like Jazz” for its decidedly non-doctrinaire insights on being a follower of Christ; I liked “Arrow” because it addressed the life of one of my favorite Christian artists, Rich Mullins, and his lifelong struggle to reconcile his Christianity with his broken, fallen humanity, a struggle that resonates deeply with me.
(4) What is something you know now that you wish you would have known when you were younger?
That other people cannot make you happy, and that ultimately, only God can change another person’s heart.
(5) Describe someone you know personally that most admire, and why?
My wife, Donna. I don’t know anyone with a bigger heart or a stronger work ethic. On top of that, she’s brilliant at what she does without being self-righteous or pretentious. She’s learned from the adversities in her life without falling into the trap of self-pity. I think she is an extraordinary person, and I’m blessed to be her husband.
(6) Describe something that has surprised you lately.
Other than the Rockies making it to the World Series? Seriously, I’m constantly surprised by my little boy, Cade—his intelligence, his fascination with things I take for granted, his endless questions about spiritual matters, his delight in playing “Chutes and Ladders” and “Candy Land” for HOURS. He is the surest antidote I’ve found to complacency and cynicism.
(7) Life is full of mysteries. Some of them are deep and profound; some of them are rather trivial. Name one or two questions you are curious to have answered once you arrive in heaven.
Trivial question: What is the purpose of mosquitoes? (I am from rice country in southeastern Arkansas.)
Profound question: Should I have done more to address the prevalence of human suffering in the world?
(8) If you could share any one “life lesson” with a college student today, what would it be?
Life goes by astonishingly quickly. I shouldn’t be in my mid-40’s yet, but I am. Learn to differentiate between what is cool and what is really important and between what is good and what is the best. Remember to love people and use things. Remember that you will leave a legacy—what kind depends on the choices and decisions you make.
The most rewarding thing about my job is getting to interact with an amazing variety of people. I am constantly learning from the people around me, and I am getting paid to do so. How cool is that?
The most frustrating part of my job are the day-to-day responsibilities (some of which are self-inflicted) that keep me chained to my desk and sap my energy. I find as I get older that I have more difficulty maintaining an extroverted personality when some many people and tasks compete for my attention.
(2) What is something else (not related to your job) that you are passionate about?
Anyone who knows me knows that I am passionately interested in movies and music (sorry, Aaron, but John Denver does fit in that category). I’m also passionate about literature, which is why I do what I do. The Divorce Care program that my wife and I co-facilitate is a ministry I feel uniquely gifted and qualified to serve in.
(3) What is one good book you’ve read lately and what made it so?
“Blue Like Jazz” by Donald Miller and “An Arrow Pointing to Heaven” by Brennan Manning. I liked “Blue Like Jazz” for its decidedly non-doctrinaire insights on being a follower of Christ; I liked “Arrow” because it addressed the life of one of my favorite Christian artists, Rich Mullins, and his lifelong struggle to reconcile his Christianity with his broken, fallen humanity, a struggle that resonates deeply with me.
(4) What is something you know now that you wish you would have known when you were younger?
That other people cannot make you happy, and that ultimately, only God can change another person’s heart.
(5) Describe someone you know personally that most admire, and why?
My wife, Donna. I don’t know anyone with a bigger heart or a stronger work ethic. On top of that, she’s brilliant at what she does without being self-righteous or pretentious. She’s learned from the adversities in her life without falling into the trap of self-pity. I think she is an extraordinary person, and I’m blessed to be her husband.
(6) Describe something that has surprised you lately.
Other than the Rockies making it to the World Series? Seriously, I’m constantly surprised by my little boy, Cade—his intelligence, his fascination with things I take for granted, his endless questions about spiritual matters, his delight in playing “Chutes and Ladders” and “Candy Land” for HOURS. He is the surest antidote I’ve found to complacency and cynicism.
(7) Life is full of mysteries. Some of them are deep and profound; some of them are rather trivial. Name one or two questions you are curious to have answered once you arrive in heaven.
Trivial question: What is the purpose of mosquitoes? (I am from rice country in southeastern Arkansas.)
Profound question: Should I have done more to address the prevalence of human suffering in the world?
(8) If you could share any one “life lesson” with a college student today, what would it be?
Life goes by astonishingly quickly. I shouldn’t be in my mid-40’s yet, but I am. Learn to differentiate between what is cool and what is really important and between what is good and what is the best. Remember to love people and use things. Remember that you will leave a legacy—what kind depends on the choices and decisions you make.
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