Most Texans equate the town of Huntsville with executions. It is home to the Walls Unit of the Texas prison system, where more than 500 executions have taken place in the past 30 years. I was by the prison last Tuesday night when one more prisoner was executed.
My own environment, however, was a bit different — sitting in the basement of the Baptist Church having dinner with Campus Crusade students who attend Sam Houston State, that other institution in town. Though the church is 100 feet from the prison walls pictured above, the two seem worlds apart.
One of the remarkable things about the Crusade ministry here is that it is led by three adults, two of whom are professors. Jennifer Bellah is a Crusade staff member married to Dr. Jeremy Bellah (pictured at right); she balances time of discipling women with raising her own son — an almost two-year-old.
Jeremy is working on tenure as a professor of operations management. When we met he talked about his love for students, as well as his research work that has resulted in a number of recent publications.
Dr. Todd Primm (below) is a professor of biology. He was involved in Campus Crusade as a student at Texas A&M, and now he is giving back to students at Sam Houston State. His family is at a little different season, with his oldest a junior in high school and trying to figure out which college to attend.
Dr. Primm taught the students from John chapter 3 about the way in which Jesus interacted with Nicodemus. 
One benefit of my time on campus was seeing the evidence of new life in Christ among the students. There was a genuine joy amongst them about the opportunity to know and share the love of Christ.