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" The essential thing 'in heaven and earth' is that there should be a long obedience in the same direction; there thereby results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living." –Friedrich Nietzsche A portion of the above Nietzsche quote appears on the acknowledgment page of my 2019 dissertation, titled "A Correlational Study: Exploring the Relationship Between Religiosity, Humility, and Dispositional Forgiveness." Along with my faith in God and unconditional love and unwavering support of my family and devoted friends, the phrase in Nietzsche's quote "long obedience in the same direction" proved to be invaluable while on my 9.7-year doctoral journey across three military deployments and 15 military exercises. On July 27, 2019, I earned and graduated with my PhD in Psychology. That sacred moment captures the essence of what "long obedience in the same direction" really means. My NCU doctoral journey began over 10 years ago. A friend contacted me and shared about his enrolling in an NCU doctoral program. He was very excited and recommended I check out NCU programs. Periodically, we discussed completing our doctoral studies for nearly a decade. I did eventually check the NCU website, but chose not to apply because my life was simply too busy. I also was wondering, "do I have what it takes?" Truthfully, this was probably the real reason for the delay. Some time in 2009, I contacted the NCU admissions office and asked a lot of questions. I applied for entrance into the NCU PhD program. Once I was accepted, I thought, "what is a theologian doing earning a degree in psychology?" I had always had an appreciation for a holistic approach to caring for people and a passion for research. NCU provided the platform for me fuse these passions. Admittedly, I had no idea what deep educational waters I was entering. My undergraduate or graduate degrees were nowhere near as rigorous as the doctoral studies program I was embarking upon, but I felt I was on the right path…until I hit a little academic turbulence and began to second-guess my decision. Before I share with you some professional and personal development tips, allow me to be very transparent with you. I was raised in inner-city Detroit by a mother who did not complete high school. Nonetheless, she drilled into my heart and mind the importance of education. Unfortunately, I did not always heed her wisdom. By the "skin of my teeth," I graduated from high school. I planned to go into the military, but because I did not take my high school studies seriously, I failed the military academic test twice. Thank God I passed on the "LONG OBEDIENCE IN THE SAME DIRECTION…" C. Bruce Gardner, Sr., PhD 2019 PhD in Psychology Graduate NCU, CTL Alumni Navigator Alumni Navigator Contribution 7 NCUPA Summer Bulletin