Neil Dyer

I am by training a veterinary pathologist. I was born in Bismarck, North Dakota in 1955. As the middle child of a geologist and a homemaker, I grew up safely in middle class America. I have no memory of adversity of any type until I was 12, when very suddenly and very tragically, my older brother was killed in a car accident. Up until that point in time my family had attended a local Episcopal church. However, after the death of my brother, we left the congregation, and essentially never went back. Their faith, or whatever they conceived it to be, was not strong enough to weather such an event. My mother had prayed for my brother's life and received a "no" answer. Consequently, she was not interested in a God who operated in that fashion. Until the age of 30, a time during which I was married and began to raise two children, I had drifted away from the church and had no interest whatsoever in spiritual topics. A crisis in my own family ultimately brought me to faith in Christ, a decision I made in the summer of 1985. Since then I have "worked out my faith with fear and trembling" in a variety of places. In the course of receiving my professional and graduate training, I learned to serve in the local church, was given opportunities to participate in missions, and became a serious student of the Bible. Since becoming involved in higher education, I have been convicted about honestly living my faith before the young people I teach and advise.

My Life

Favorite Quote

I don't know that I have a pithy personal statement. In growing older, I find myself becoming a more interested student of human nature. I love how honest the Bible is about human nature, and, in so doing, shows us how badly we need God.

My hobbies

Birdwatching, bicycling, reading, writing

Best advice I ever received

I was never much good at taking advice when I was young, however, when I become a Christian, a good friend told me to use my gift of teaching to serve the Lord. In so doing, I have been able to do things and go places I would never imagined possible.

My undergrad alma mater

Zoology at North Dakota State University

My worst subject in school

Quantitative Analysis

In college I drove

Toyota Corolla

If I weren't a professor, I would

I would love to be a professional writer.

Favorite books

There are too many to mention. Authors I enjoy are C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, Harry Blamires, Graham Greene, Somerset Maugham, Frederick Buechner, Annie Dillard, Flannery O'Connor, Thomas Merton and Marilynne Robinson.

Favorite movies

I really enjoyed

Favorite city

This is tough. Somewhere in the west, maybe Denver.

Favorite coffee

Oddly enough, I enjoy gas station coffee. It's not the taste so much as the adventure of stopping and buying.

My latest accomplishment

Keeping a journal on the life of my 4-year-old grandson