Welcome to Rocky

Over the course of my studies I’ve read a lot of Bible background and context resources. One of the best things about those resources (to me) are the timelines. They allow us to see history at a glance and compare different places and movements. One of the challenges that timelines present is the flattening of history: they lull us into the sense that history is simply linear, and they tend to cause us to forget about the people who experienced those eras. When we see decades, centuries, or even millennia between events, we start to think that nothing really happens between those events. We start to think that our lives should be like those timelines: long stretches of “inactivity” with occasional changes that shake things up.

In the midst of our assumptions, we sometimes need to be reminded of the quote (possibly not genuine to Heraclitus, but nonetheless poignant) that “change is the only constant.” After watching life unfold and being a student of history, I’ve become more convinced that we live in a constant state of change, and that the periods of rest are really the anomaly.

The great challenge we face is that most of us don’t like change. Change is a tricky thing to navigate, and more the change comes, the less control we tend to have. Too often our response to the lack of control we feel is to grab hold of life even more strongly. We think that if we can just hold the reigns tightly enough, life will settle down for us.

What we see in Jesus is the complete opposite of our natural inclination. In Jesus we see the acknowledgement that so much of life remains outside of easy control. This is not an acknowledgement that ends in a fatalistic giving up, but rather one that insists on rhythms of life to work through the change. Jesus shows us a life that is dedicated to the rule of God in all things (Matthew 6:33). When things get overwhelming, Jesus’ regular practice is to retreat and to bask in the presence of the Father (Luke 5:16). When the crowds needed Jesus, he would often tend to their needs and then find time to recharge (Mark 6:46). When his disciples had problems, he would deal with them as they came. Even when he was being pursued for arrest, the established rhythm of his life was not threatened (Matthew 26:36-45).

Our lives may be chaotic. We may have more on our plates than is reasonable, more than we can adequately handle. That happens. Change may be constant and overwhelming. But just because things are out of our control does not mean we have to be. Instead, we learn from Jesus to develop the rhythms of reliance on God and on His faithfulness. Change may be constant, but so is our God, and when we find our rhythm in Him, we can learn to trust that all will truly be well.

All the best,

President Rev. Dr. Mike Swalm

I attended RMC from 2012-2015, receiving a diploma for Christian Leadership. 9 months after graduating found me married to my best friend and fellow Rocky student, Steven Dahl. After living in Ontario for the first two years of marriage, we returned to Alberta and have settled in Camrose.

I am now a stay-at-home mom, chasing after our almost-6-year-old son, Grant, and two-year-old daughter, Esmé. 

When I am not being "Mama" and wife, I am the volunteer music leader, (Mrs. Kayla) with Steven as my co-leader one Sunday a month, for Children's Ministry at Resurrection LB Church; deeply involved in teaching kids about worship and its importance through things like Kid-Led Sundays, VBS, and anything and everything in between! 

I have also turned into vegetable gardener. I specifically enjoy container gardening (far less weeding!) and have been honing my green thumb for the last 4 years.

And, though I still have a soft spot for my Toronto Maple Leafs, my dear husband and children have worked their magic on me and have turned me into a dedicated Edmonton Oilers fan. I even have a Zach Hyman t-shirt and an Oilers ball cap that I wear regularly. Saturday night is Hockey Night in the Dahl House. Play La Bamba, Baby!

After graduating from Rocky Mountain College I was able to get a job as a manager of an afterschool program with multiple sites around the San Francisco  area. This job was a perfect fit for me as it was in the field I am most passionate about which is working with youth and mentoring to help create strong future leaders.

It was a great experience but one that was taking a little bit too much of my time at this stage as me and my wife had a beautiful baby girl who was born back in March 2024 and was taking more and more of our time.

So we came to the decision that my wife would keep working fulltime and I would stay at home with our baby. So I have been fully enjoying this past year spending all my time with my lovely daughter and learning what it means to be a father.

I am intending on pursuing a masters degree and getting back to work once our daughter is a bit older and can put her in daycare. 

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RMC's vision is to glorify God by developing Christian disciples and leaders who seek to embrace the meaningful life offered by Jesus. (John 10:10) 

As an accredited institution of Christian higher education, RMC’s mission is to provide quality Christian learning that results in transformed lives.

To learn more about our vision, mission, and beliefs:

• Pray for the RMC staff as we wind up our summer holidays, that we would be rested and refreshed

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• Pray for RMC students as they likely increase their activity level in the fall. Pray that God would bless them and give them extra capacity!