
Hosted by Dr. Jay Richard Akkerman · EN
"Iron Sharpens Iron" is the podcast from our weekly NNU-Clergy peer dialogues by Northwest Nazarene University's Office of University Mission & Ministry. Hosted by Dr. Jay Richard Akkerman, NNU's assistant to the president for congregational engagement, ISI offers pastors, students, and lay ministry leaders a front-row seat to fascinating guests of interest for their personal and professional lives. Subscribe today!

Many of us can identify with Abraham Lincoln's admission that “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go.” Yet, as ministers of the gospel, shouldn't we be inviting those in our charge to deepen their spiritual lives so prayer becomes as natural to them as drawing their next breath? Today we welcome Dr. Deborah J.A. Miller, lead pastor at the Sunnyside (OR) Church of the Nazarene about cultivating a life of prayer. Deborah has a wealth of experience in this area and recently published a new book called "Planning a Prayer Retreat" (Kharis Pub 2025).

In this episode, I'm thrilled to welcome my friend and NNU colleague, Dr. Grant Miller, to ISI. For the past four years, I've been privileged to work alongside Grant in NNU's Office of University Mission & Ministry, where Grant has been serving as our University Chaplain. Recently, Grant was elected lead pastor at Nashville (TN) First Church of the Nazarene and he, his wife Jen, and their children will be moving from Nampa before the end of October. Come and learn more about this significant opportunity for the Millers, what their time on our campus has meant to them, and what lies ahead for NNU's chapel program.

The sixth season of "Iron Sharpens Iron," our free weekly NNU-Clergy Peer Dialogue, kicks off as we welcome NNU's 14th president, Dr. Mark DeMichael, as he reflects on his first few weeks in leadership, looks at the year ahead, and also takes some time for related Q&A.