Holly Blakely

Biography

In 1999, several months prior to my first year of grad school, God called me to teach. As a shy, quiet, and bookish young woman, I was an unlikely teacher. However, during my early days of teaching, God showed me that He will use any person, at any time, and in any place for His purposes. The only limits that matter are the ones that God deems necessary, and He does not ask our permission to do as He pleases.

As followers of Christ, we must not forget that our callings are not for our own edification but for the edification of others. Additionally, we should remember that we seek to edify other believers not so much that their self-esteem may grow but that Christ would be glorified. In this regard, I think A.W. Tozer said it best: "Our gifts and talents should also be turned over to Him. They should be recognized for what they are, God's loan to us, and should never be considered in any sense our own. We have no more right to claim credit for special abilities than for blue eyes or strong muscles."

In the Cedarville University Writing Center, we exist to provide writers with God-honoring insight that will help to sharpen their powers of discernment and empathy. Sometimes writers come to the Writing Center at the behest of their professors and sometimes at their own behest. No matter what prompts the student, ultimately God is behind that prompting. Thus, Cedarville's Writing Center serves a great purpose for all students, namely to assist students to embrace greater depths of wisdom and greater powers of discernment as they seek to influence others for the glory of Christ alone.