Alumni Highlight: Fraser Armstrong
Talk to him for five minutes and you feel as though you have known him your entire life. You sit in awe as you listen to him speak because you realize that few other Christians live their life as authentically as he does. You hear his story, and suddenly you relate to him more than you ever thought possible. Fraser Armstrong would call himself a nobody, and yet he allowed God to shine through his weaknesses to become a somebody. His life has been shaped by a burning desire to make a difference in this world for the sake of the gospel.
What major did you pursue? When did you graduate and what activities you were a part of as a student at MBU?
I graduated in 2009 with a degree in Humanities and Dramatic Productions minor. While at MBU, I performed in every play I could, which I loved. It was a great opportunity. I was also involved in the Chamber Singers choir for 3 years, and I traveled with the Heritage Singers. Jail ministry was another opportunity I had, and I became a leader in that ministry for a short time.
What has happened in your life since graduating from MBU?
I am in my ninth season of working for Sight and Sound. My journey from MBU to Sight and Sound is all of God. I am doing something that I didn’t study. Sight and Sound was not originally on my radar and God put it on my radar. When I first went down and auditioned, I got in by the skin of my teeth. I did terribly on the audition, and so I just went home thinking to myself “Well that isn’t going to work. I messed that up.” Later they called me however and offered me a role.
Soon after, we had kids, and that supercharges your life and makes you decide you want to be good at something. I decided I wanted to be better at acting, singing and dancing. I started taking classes that I had never taken at Maranatha. I also started finding my identity in Christ and who He created me to be. I continued to play multiple different roles at Sight and Sound including the understudy for Joseph, a large role in Jonah, and eventually, I received the main role of Moses, which I performed for two years.
So, every day I show up to work at 2:30pm. I have a cast meeting and time of prayer. We then head down to get our makeup on and perform. Sight and Sound treats their people well, and I am very blessed to be a part of it.
What brought you to MBU as a freshman?
My mom. I was accepted on a full-time scholarship at College of the Ozarks in Branson, Missouri. They couldn’t accept me until the spring semester, so my mom suggested I attend Maranatha for that first semester.
I was not the best fit for Maranatha. I ended up staying there because of the relationships I forged and not only with students, but with faculty as well. They were able to love on me even though I didn’t fit inside that bubble. It was good for me to be there because it forced me to ask questions such as “why do we do things a certain way? Is it tradition, scriptural mandate, or even pride?” God brought me to Maranatha because it served as a season of safety. The course of my life at that time could have gone either way in either serving Christ or serving self. So, God definitely used it during that time in my life and can use it for other students who are there as well.
We often worry about the choices we will make, but wherever you find yourself, a good thing to consider is to say, “I’m right here, so maybe God wants me right here.” If the Creator of the universe wants you somewhere else, He could probably get you there. I latched onto that during my time at Maranatha because I was there, and I determined that God probably had me there for a reason.
We often ask God to show us where He wants us to go and tell him we’ll go wherever He asks, but God has been telling me my whole life, “That’s great Fraser, but will you stay where I tell you to stay?” That is harder for me. It is harder for me to stay because I want to pursue. God has shown me that when I’m ready to stay, that is when He will tell me it is time to go.
What do you appreciate most about your training at MBU?
What I appreciated most about Maranatha (and this becomes truer and truer) is that they value the word of God highly. If we did not place inherent value in the Word of God, we are opening ourselves up for the absence of absolute truth.
Was there a faculty member who really stood out to you – as having an impact on your life?
I was in English Composition 1. I didn’t know a dangling participle from a gerund if you gave me a million bucks. I am not a very smart person. So anyhow, I was in English first hour and Mr. Kolwinska is there.
I walked up to him and said, “I am going to have a lot of questions for you.”
He responded and said, “Ok, that’s fine.”
I said, “No, look at me, sir. You and I are going to become best friends.”
He stated, “I highly doubt that. I highly doubt that Fraser.”
I told him, “I guarantee it. I am going to come up with a nickname for you.”
So, we named him K Dog. To this day, every single year, K Dog comes down to visit me and my family, and he watches a show. Every time I see him I say, “I was right. We became very good friends.”
Another professor that had an impact on my life is Jeff Drost. Jeff Drost is the most authentic follower of Jesus Christ I met while I was at that institution. I think he cares about your success second. He wants you to know you are loved and valued first. If you know you are loved and valued, your success will fall into place. I even hated Macroeconomics, but I loved the class because of him.
Can you tell us about your family – wife, kids?
My wife Christina is fantastic. She is an MBU graduate, and we were both Humanities majors. We celebrated 10 years of marriage in August. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me. We have a seven-year-old girl named Cadence, a five-year-old boy named Cole, our spitfire three-year-old named Kenzie, and then Clay just turned two. My family is everything to me.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Sight and Sound has been great, but I feel that God is moving me somewhere else. I am an influencer, and I absolutely love talking to people. Young people these days have a lot of expectations on them, and they feel as though they need a plan. So, I would love to be able to influence them, but I’m not exactly sure what that looks like. I can’t believe I’m saying this, because I swore up and down my whole life that I would never do this, but I’m considering being a pastor. I have been looking into taking some seminary classes and seeing what Christ has for me, so I can influence people. I especially want to influence younger people and help them find their identity in Jesus Christ.
I want to ensure people that following Christ is the most exciting and vibrant decision you will ever make.
I think sometimes seeking the will of God is viewed as going to church more, but I think seeking the will of God is actually getting out of church more and going to the dark and broken places where Jesus found himself. That doesn’t mean we throw a tract in someone’s face and run away because we are afraid, but we should lead with a relationship and seek to meet their needs. Through that relationship, we can then give the gospel.
At some point, I think Christians have become so used to the good news that we turned it into the “okay news.” The gospel is not “okay news.” The gospel is the best news we’ve ever heard. It is good news for the homosexual community. It is good news for those struggling with drug addiction, and God is calling me to show that unconditional love to those who have never felt it.
God has also been showing me that it is time for Christians to start telling stories the way Jesus told stories, and I believe he is calling me to do that through films. I have been looking into film writing and film production because right now, Christian films accommodate instead of challenge. So, I believe I should go into some kind of mentorship for young people as well as some form of storytelling. I am so thankful for my diverse degree in Humanities that allows me to pursue a variety of opportunities.
What is a message you’d like to share with a current student?
Well, first of all, I would love to be in person and just give you a big dad hug and say, “It’s going to be okay. You don’t have to worry.” Own your fears and know that Christ has overcome them. Live authentically because the world sees fake Christians enough.
Know that it is okay to pursue your passion. I think sometimes we look suspiciously at our passions, but if you are living for Christ and have given him your life, then he has given you that passion for a reason. Get on your face (literally on your face where no one else is) and ask him to show you where to go with that passion, because he will not lead you astray. He has not given it to you to inconvenience you.
If you grew up or are currently around someone who does not look favorably upon your God-given passions, it’s okay to get away from that person, because that person might be operating in their own fear and insecurity. If you are secure in Christ, there is no passion that is too risky. God has given it to you for a reason.
Look to an older brother or sister. Ask God to give you someone who will encourage you. We need support because we are created for it. Baptists are really good at hiding their problems, and I think it’s time we not hide them anymore.
I was listening to a sermon by Michael Todd and I loved how he explained this. “God tells a warrior to walk sometimes. It’s like Joshua and Jericho.” What I would love to tell college students is that they can just walk where God has told them to walk and just have the courage to stand still at the end of the day. That can be hard, but the victorious shout is coming. You can just stand there and watch the obstacles fall, because that’s where God wants you to be. The will of God is much more than a college degree.
It is a daily process of deciding that his plan is more important than yours. There is less of OUR action involved than HIS action in preparing the way.