“Let us stay in a spirit of gratitude as we hear a word from the Lord,” the chapel speaker announced as the Olivet community gathered at Centennial Chapel. This past week, Olivet Nazarene University welcomed author, professor and pastor and “Slow Theology” podcaster A.J. Swoboda back to campus for two impactful chapel services focused on faith and desire.
A returning speaker and chapel favorite, A.J. Swoboda immediately engaged the audience with his warmth, humor and deep theological insight. “I came out of my hotel this morning, and within five seconds, my beard was frozen like I live in the Yukon,” he joked. “But it’s warm in here, and it’s good to be together.”
Swoboda framed his message around desire—what we long for, what it reveals about us and how it can draw us closer to God. Reading from Genesis 2, he reminded the audience that God created humans as beings with desires and that those desires, when properly aligned, can lead to a fuller, richer faith. “God didn’t create us as robots,” he said. “He created us with longing, creativity and the capacity to pursue Him.”
As he unpacked scripture, Swoboda emphasized that desire is not inherently sinful but must be rightly ordered. He pointed to Jesus’ frequent question in the Gospels: What do you want? “Jesus asks that question not because He doesn’t know the answer,” Swoboda explained, “but because He wants us to be honest with ourselves. If we don’t understand our desires, we’ll impulsively chase after whatever seems to satisfy them.”
Throughout the message, Swoboda wove personal stories with theological insights, making complex ideas accessible and deeply relevant. He spoke candidly about how cultural messages often distort our understanding of desire, particularly when it comes to sexuality. “The world says, ‘You do you,’ but let’s be honest,” he said. “The things I want on Monday morning are very different from the things I want on Friday night. So which ‘you’ am I supposed to be?”
Swoboda also addressed the importance of community, drawing from Genesis 2:18, where God declares, It is not good for man to be alone. “Adam had God all to himself, and yet God still said that wasn’t enough,” he pointed out. “We were made to need each other. We were made for relationship.”
The second chapel session continued the conversation, moving from creation into the realities of a fallen world. Reading from Genesis 3, Swoboda highlighted the way sin distorts good desires and leads to shame and brokenness. “The first thing Adam and Eve did after sinning was cover themselves,” he said. “They immediately tried to hide their differences. But God created difference. He created men and women, tribes and nations, not to be erased but to be celebrated.”
Swoboda’s message resonated with students, faculty and staff, many of whom stayed after to reflect and pray. “Jesus wants to meet us in our full story,” he said in his closing remarks. “He doesn’t just want the parts we’re comfortable showing Him—He wants it all. And if we’ll let Him, He’ll bring healing even to the most painful parts of our past.”
