In this second part of their conversation, WBU President Dr. Stan Norman sits back down with Director of Athletics Mitch Mathis to trace how a winding coaching career became a clear sense of calling and ministry. Coach Mathis shares how God used closed doors, hard seasons, and unexpected moves—from small-town Arkansas to inner-city Houston and back—to shape his heart for students, coaches, and families. He reflects on the mentors and “God-appointments” that marked his journey, the role of prayer in navigating divorce, transition, and leadership, and how he now understands athletic administration as coaching the coaches and pastoring the people God has placed in his path. Whether you serve on the field, in the classroom, or in the marketplace, this episode invites you to see your own work as ministry and your career as a canvas for God’s faithful, guiding hand.

WBU President Dr. Stan Norman talks with Athletic Director Mitch Mathis about how a blue-collar childhood in Pine Bluff, a catcher’s grind on the baseball field, and a winding spiritual journey shaped his work ethic, leadership, and calling in athletics.

In this first part of a two-episode conversation, WBU President Dr. Stan Norman sits down with Williams Baptist University Director of Athletics, Mitch Mathis, to trace the early story behind his calling, character, and career. Growing up in Pine Bluff in a hardworking, blue-collar home, Mitch shares how watching his father log timber, serve as a command sergeant major in the National Guard, and “fix” struggling units—and seeing his mother care for people as a hospital social worker—formed his understanding of work, responsibility, and leadership. He reflects on early jobs from candy striper to construction laborer, the blisters that tested his grit, and the expectation that if you took a job, you owed your boss a full day’s work.

Mitch also unpacks his spiritual journey: coming to faith as a 10-year-old during Vacation Bible School, drifting in the demanding rhythm of college baseball at Arkansas State, and later returning to church as a young husband and father who wanted his kids rooted in the local body. Along the way, he tells the story of how a Little League coach helped him fall in love with catching, why he walked on at ASU without even knowing where Jonesboro was, and how one unforgettable Senior Day game against Memphis became the perfect ending to his playing career. Candid and down-to-earth, this episode lays the groundwork for Part 2, where Mitch and Dr. Norman will explore calling, coaching, and how God orchestrates a life of service through athletics.

What do you do when the calling you thought would define your life runs straight into the brick wall of real ministry hurt? In this episode of the LifeWork Podcast, we listen in as WBU president Dr. Stan Norman sits down with former worship guitarist and once–full-time pastor, now digital recruiting coordinator, Bill Jeffery. Bill opens up about chasing the dream of professional music, stepping into local church ministry with big expectations, and then hitting rough waters—disappointment, confusion, and the grief of watching a long–imagined future fall apart.

Through honest stories and hard-won insight, Bill and Dr. Norman wrestle with what calling really means when your plans die, doors close, and “ministry” no longer looks like a church office or a title. They explore how God meets us in vocational wreckage, how He retools our gifts for new settings, and why serving in Christian higher education can be just as spiritually weighty as standing behind a pulpit. If you’ve ever wondered, “Did I miss my calling?” or felt burned by ministry but still hungry to be used by God, this conversation will help you see your detours as part of His design, not the end of your story.